Grace and holy living

I have been thinking about the balance between grace and holy living lately.  Does grace erase holy living or holy living usurp grace? As Paul would say, "May it never be!"  So God gave me a word picture.  When we accept Christ as Savior we are a new creation.  We are able to soar above life's circumstances.  Holy living is the experience of a trapeze artist.  Each choice is a strong hold on the bar. We swing effortlessly from bar to bar as long as we are making holy and right choices. 

Grace comes into play when we mess up - there is a net below!!  We do not fall on hard tile, never to get back up again.  Grace provides a net, because God knows that we are but dust (Psalm 103). 
With that picture in mind, read Psalm 37:23-24: "The steps of a man are established by the LORD, and He delights in his way.  When he falls, he will not be hurled headlong, Because the LORD is the One who holds his hand." Jesus is our net!!

Grace is the beginning of our relationship with God, but it also sustains us in that relationship. Without grace, holy living is legalism and we find ourselves on the hard tile with no hope of soaring in the joy and freedom that God created us for.

As a parent, you get to be that example of holy living and grace to your children.  Lead them to the cross, teach them to soar with a spirit of praise and as an example of holy living, but be that net of grace, of protection and mercy and forgiveness and love when they fall.  When they experience this as children, they will be able to rest and trust in their God as adults.