Many Christians seem content to live with their lives oriented toward past expressions of God’s grace, such as the time they were converted, or the time when God manifested himself unusually through an answered prayer, or a time of spiritual significance. But God’s workings of grace and our need for faith must not be relegated to past experiences. We must hear God now. We need hope for the future, hope that finds energy in faith and accesses the grace of God for the needs of tomorrow. A holistic interaction with God’s grace would be one that rejoices in the past experiences, interfaces with the Lord in the present, and trusts him for the future.

For further consideration: Take some time to consider the following questions regarding your faith journey. Am I following God out of love and gratitude for what Jesus has done for me, or am I being pushed in God’s direction by guilt and fear? Do I anticipate with excitement the joy of gathering together with the church or is church another obligation and burden on an already busy schedule? When life in this world pressures me with financial obligations, do I look for ways to simplify my life or do I consider spiritual matters secondary to the priority of maintaining a certain lifestyle? Am I living in terror next to Mt Sinai hoping God would just stop talking, or am I living in freedom next to Mt Zion hanging on every word that God speaks?