Is this legalism?

Hey Church,

Every day I go through what some might call a "ritual."

Some might even say I am being "legalistic."

But here's what I do:

I pray daily along the lines of what has become known as "the Lord's Prayer."

Basically, I'm spending time every day specifically setting aside my own needs and requests, and instead, praying for God's Will to be done, and God's Kingdom to come, "on earth, as it is in heaven."

About once every 2 or 3 years I am tempted to quit praying like this and just coast.

That is, I am almost persuaded by the super-spiritual among us who think that intentionally doing anything spiritual on a regular basis amounts to ritual, legalism, and religiosity.

Maybe that's YOUR reaction to my daily prayer thing.

Maybe you resist any attempt to pray daily, or read Scripture daily, or do anything along those lines for fear that it will become cold, legalistic, and lifeless.

Certainly, that's a possibility.

It's also possible that you're just being lazy, passive, and going to the extreme of "not being religious" to make yourself look free, liberated, and "Spirit-led."

I don't know.

But what I do know is this:

My little once-a-day prayer routine is nothing compared to Daniel.

Daniel did what I do - not once, but three times a day.

Daniel did it even when he was threatened with death.

And here we are, ready to give up whenever we get too busy, too inconvenienced, or too concerned for what we "don't" want to be like.

Of course, there are a lot of religious practices that are definitely legalistic and lifeless.

But sometimes the Bible uses a different word to describe things done on a regular basis with a pure heart.

That word?

FAITHFULNESS.

Here's one way to look at the difference...

- Legalism consistently does the right thing for the wrong motive.

- Faithfulness consistently does the right thing for the right motive.

So it's the motive (not the consistent action) that determines the nature of the act.

Daniel was faithful, so when they passed a law forbidding prayer, he just kept on praying three times a day.

Maybe we should pass a law forbidding prayer; maybe that would get people praying

Maybe we should pass a law forbidding the Bible; maybe that would get people to read it and appreciate it.

The other thing I think about is something God put on our heart many years ago:

"Teach these things to faithful people who can teach others" (2. Tim. 2:2).

I've always focused on "teaching these things," emphasizing the importance of Christ-centered teachings.

That's good, but it's not enough.

The key component here has nothing to do with the teacher or the teachings, but with the people being taught.

Paul was concerned for the handing down of a Christ-centered faith to successive generations of people, and to keep that testimony alive, he stressed the importance of teaching these things to FAITHFUL people.

Not half-hearted, lukewarm, one-foot-in and one-foot-out kind of people, here today and gone the next.

Faithful people - people who are consistent, regular, dependable, reliable, committed.

Faithful to God, faithful to His Word, faithful to His Will and His Kingdom.

Faithfulness can't be taught, because it's a fruit of the Spirit.

But faithfulness can definitely be measured, and we can see if we're faithful or unfaithful.

For example, if I am faithful to my wife, it means I am consistently devoted to her and I reject every other romantic relationship.

That's faithfulness in marriage.

It's either there, or it isn't - there is no getting around it or making excuses for it.

Some in the world think that kind of commitment to one person for life is impractical, unrealistic, or even "legalistic."

We who know better, know that this idea of "one man, one woman, for life" is God's plan for marriage.

Well, guess what?

It's also God's plan for our "marriage" with Him.


"These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Rev. 17:14).

Did you catch that?

Many are called, few are chosen, and even fewer are faithful.

Now, the point of this email is not to accuse you of anything, or get you to do something - it's only to ask you to prayerfully consider (or reconsider) that what you may be resisting as too legalistic or too religious may actually be a call to greater faithfulness and sacrifice.

Yes, a greater commitment requires paying a greater price.

Sometimes, faithfulness will require the ultimate sacrifice, and may even get you thrown into a den of lions or a fiery furnace.

But we have a choice.

We can be people of principle, or people of thrown around by every wave of feeling and opinion.

We can be faithful and fruitful, or we can go around pretending to be "free" - and fruitless.

When the Son of Man returns, will He find faith (faithfulness) in the earth?


I am your brother,


Chip Brogden
http://ChipBrogden.com