“Making Space”  is a fundamental part of showing hospitality.

The question is what kind of space are you making?

This post was initially titled “Resist Legalism”, however, I found this photo and liked the new title more.

Making grace your space will allow you to invite more and more people into relationship with yourself and thereby God. If you have a chance, take a few minutes and read Luke 10:29. This verse brings us back into the Parable of the Good Samaritan. In the Parable, there is an Expert in the Law that questions Jesus and wants to justify himself.

The question from the Expert in the law highlights the issue of legalism in all of our hearts.

Legalism is a barrier toward hospitality.

Legalism is a barrier toward expressing love. It creates and sustains a sense of superiority that stokes the fire of elitism in our heats. Resist it my friends.

Legalism is insidious. It is one of those things that really corrupt our understanding of God’s love and therefore corrupt our expression of God’s love. It is interesting to consider where legalism comes from. It is like a seed that is planted and grows. The seed is the thought that you can participate in your own salvation. You really cannot. Only God can save. Once you come to grips with this, you will be better positioned to see the heart Jesus is showing to the Expert in the Law.

Resist legalism at all costs.

It will not help you experience God’s love nor share it. Legalism is truly a selfish endeavor. It seeks the righteousness attained by personal effort over embracing the righteousness of Christ. It is the difference between believing you can attain the righteousness God requires on your own and believing you can only attain righteousness based on what Jesus has done for you. Should we pursue personal holiness? Yes! Yes, we can and should grow in our love for God and because of that love, willingly sacrifice things in our life that hold us back from making God number one. Pursue holiness and avoid legalism.