Pilgrim Soldier

Another quote out of The Ragamuffin Gospel, although this time its not actually Brennan Manning’s words:

“Our whole understanding of [Jesus] is based in a quid pro quo of bartered love. He will love us if we are good, moral, and diligent. But we have turned the tables; we try to live so that he will love us, rather than living because he has already love us.” Lloyd Ogilvie

I can’t really talk for anyone else, but I know that in my own life I spent years trying to earn God’s love. It was only following a week of constant teaching on His love for me that the penny finally dropped and I accepted His unconditional love. It was only then that I really began to realise just what an incredible God we worship.

The thing that really comes out of Manning’s book for me is the reminder that we cannot earn God’s grace. God loves us and wants to be in relationship with us and because of this wants to give out of his grace. Now obviously for us to receive this there has to be an act of repentance, and Manning talks about this, but he majors on Grace. The problem is that all too often we put the emphasis on the repentance to such an extent that it becomes as if this act is what earns us the grace of God. The truth though is that all repentance truly does is open our hardened hearts so that His free gift can be received!