LWQ Fall 2010

The Pressure's Off: A Better You

It is finished (John 19:30).

Wish lists, waitlists, honey-do lists … even Craig’s got a list. And now, thanks to a popular movie, we are supposed to get busy filling bucket lists if we want our life to measure up.

Is it possible that daily doses of “list living” can throw a monkey wrench into our right understanding of the balance between Law and Gospel?

Whether it’s because of our original sin or our exposure to media and culture from sources outside our Lutheran circles, we may face an oh-so-subtle tipping of that delicate Law/Gospel balance. It becomes inviting to devise mental lists of things we must do … should do … need to do … to earn God’s favor. As a result, we may be tempted to take matters into our own hands, believing that a step-by-step keeping of human laws, or even God’s Law — His Top Ten — helps us measure up in our heavenly Father’s eyes.

How do we tip the scales back? By clearly testifying the Gospel message, cutting through that clamor that seeks to focus on what “we can do” instead of the Good News we bear: Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, has already done what we can never do for ourselves; He kept the Law perfectly; His blood has forgiven and restored us; and His resurrection assures us that we, too, in faith will rise.

Toss the list! The pressure’s off! A better you — a forgiven-and-made-whole you — comes courtesy of your Savior. He’s done it all for you. It is finished!

Nancy Graf Peters
Editor-in-Chief
editor@lwml.org

Full LWQ File: 2010fall.pdf

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