the choice is yours

the pursuit of holiness (or the pursuit of righteousness, whatever you call it) is achieved in 2 ways, both of which require a very basic sunday school concept: obedience to Jesus.

on one hand we have obedience fueled by religious duty. duty implies obligation, a responsibility, work, a job. here, our heart is always reaching, always struggling, always striving, always trying harder. we rely on our own willpower as we believe that by taming our spirit to just "do the right thing", we will be successful, and hopefully, obtain perfection, a self-ordained version of righteousness, a "christian nirvana". we constantly find ourselves doubting if we will ever be good enough, and we wonder if we are really worth as much as He says we are. and always, lurking in the back dark corner is the fear of failure.

on the other hand we have obedience fueled by a love relationship of encounter. here we stand in confidence in the place of grace, where obedience comes from an overflow out of the abundance of the heart. here, obedience comes from a heart response, a form of worship because these days it seems like worship is the only appropriate response after encountering the face of Love. obedience becomes a dance, as the steps of our heart flow in sync with the movements of His, as our heart is swept away by the goodness of His every move.

it's amazing how the same goal can have such differing ways of reaching it. both operate from a genuine heart that desires nothing but true relationship with Jesus. however, one kills the spirit, and we reach a place where the journey has become too hard, and we just can't go on anymore.

the other, you His son, His daughter.
life does not get any better than this.