Ok, it is quiz time.  Don’t be intimidated, it is only one question and it is multiple-choice.  Ready?  Tell me about your prayer life.  Do you (a) feel you really ought to be praying more regularly and more passionately, or (b) feel your prayer life is just about right, just about what God would want from you, or (c) feel you have been praying way too much and need to cut back in this area?

If you answered (b) please post a comment on this article and tell us your story so we can all be inspired.  If you answered (c) please contact Pastor Tony to schedule a counseling session.  But you are probably over here with me in category (a).  We all know we ought to pray more and all want to do it but somehow we don’t.  “Ought to” just doesn’t have enough oomph to get us across the finish line.  I’ve tried to school myself to sound a mental alarm bell any time I hear the phrase “ought to” or something like it, particularly when it comes from my own mouth.

But aren’t there a host of things that we as believers feel we “ought to” be doing or be doing more of?  Prayer is one of course, but how about reading Scripture regularly, giving or tithing, witnessing and others?  If “ought to” is not motivation enough how does grace enable us?  Most people answer something like this – “Through grace I am able to respond in love and gratitude and do these things.”  I confess I’ve used that line myself at times.  But this only puts the problem one step back.  If we still are not doing these things then clearly we don’t love God as much as we “ought to.”  If anything, this sounds worse than before.

So what is the way out?  Let’s begin with something important about God.  Nothing you can do will make God love you any more or any less.  If somehow your obedience was able to increase God’s love than His love isn’t perfect.  But as it is perfect this is not possible.  Conversely your failures don’t diminish God’s love.  So whatever our “ought to” solution will be, our standing before God is not impacted.  (I know that there are many fine believers who differ with me on this but the idea that our imperfect successes and failures can alter a perfect love seems rather absurd to me.)

But here is a troubling fact.  Why does Paul, the ultimate apostle of grace, fill his letters with so many seeming “ought to” instructions?  In my opinion, it is not because they are commands that God requires, they are urgent reminders of how we may be blessed in our Christian walk.  When a doctor tells us to take some medication, eat the right foods or lose weight he is essentially saying “If you want to maximize the life God has given you these are the things you must do.”  Paul’s instructions therefore are for us to maximize our Christian life.  These “ought to” passages are prescriptions for a healthy Christian life.

Understood this way, grace has taken away the wrenching guilt of failing on our “ought to” lists.  Advice on how we are to do them become coaching on ways that can be possible and not chastisements.  So, what are some practical ways you can share that enable your fellow believers to sustain the things they desire to see a part of their Christian walk?  I will share one tip.  Get involved in some organized teaching or learning activity.  Every Sunday School teacher I know says that the preparation they do for class blesses them greatly.  Just working on this blog has greatly increased the time I spend studying and meditating on God’s Word.  But I am sure there are many others.  Can you share one?