The Bible is not about me

This article is how I want to raise my kids.  I want them to know the Bible is not about them. If I can't teach them more than a list of rules, then I've failed them.  But even more, reading this article brought tears to my eyes as I realized how much my life is changed by really knowing the gospel.

The gospel changes lives, no doubt. I don't want to imply that God only saves or loves those who completely understand the gospel.  Christ's death and resurrection saves us. That is paramount, but what is sad is that many people are saved, do believe the gospel, but are taught 'rules' and 'morals' and don't live with the freedom and grace provided by the gospel.  That makes me sad. Such a gift, but not knowing how amazing that gift is.

I think a lot of churches are getting it wrong. They teach the only way to Christ is through salvation (correct) but then there is always this fear of pleasing God, of keeping him happy, of obeying the morals.  Like the parable of the lost son, you either say to heck with it (like the younger brother) or you worship the rules and regulations (like the older one). 

What if salvation, grace, Christ doing what we can't was more than just a conversion story, but a daily part of our lives? WOW. amazing.  I believe that but I don't live it.  Lots of people don't believe it and thats because they aren't taught it.

The author of this article wrote the Jesus Storybook Bible and this is why she wrote it - for kids to know:

• That the Bible isn't mainly about me, and what I should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.
• That the Bible is most of all a story---the story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
• That---in spite of everything, no matter what, whatever it cost him---God won't ever stop loving his children . . . with a wonderful, Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.
• That the Bible, in short, is a Story---not a Rule Book---and there is only one Hero in the Story.

Wow. I want my kids to know that. I want to know that. I want to live like there is a hero to the story already. I want to live like He remains the hero despite my screwups and that I never have to worry about being the Hero or winning the Hero's love.

And, more than that, I would want my kids to grow up knowing that from day one.

Do you live that way? Like the Bible is a checklist? Or that the Bible tells you that you will fail to meet the standard but you are loved so much and someone else has already met the standard for you?

As the author says, at the end of the day, the Bible is not about me. Thank you Jesus.