Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Tie (02/28/13)
-
TITLE: Neckties, Law and Grace | Previous Challenge Entry
By Gloria Pierre Dean
03/04/13 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
“Neckties must be worn to work in this office” managers would say.
Failure to wear neckties is an offense and will result in disapproval and censure.
In the great Westernised developed cities of our world, men can be seen
scurrying or should I say hurrying to work with briefcases, suits and neckties.
We do not look beyond the neckties.
It is like a stamp that shouts ‘he is okay’. Some would say they a mark of respectability.
In most churches and gentlemen clubs, Pilots, The Boy Scouts, the Red Cross, the Salvation Army men and women wear neckties with suits or with uniforms.
One day I met a man who refused to wear a necktie [except to our wedding].
He was forced to wear them all of his life so he finally rebelled.
“No more ties” he said.
So in came the V-neck shirts, the polo shirts and tee shirts.
Refreshingly I see a trend among many preachers, they are wearing jeans and shirts and not neckties or suits.
Neckties make me think of the Laws that God gave to Israel.
All they had to do was follow it in order to be `right' with Him.
Any failure to follow was visible to all, because the Law consisted of a
series of rules and commands publicly followed.
Leviticus and Exodus are replete with the Laws.
Many died and the whole race was cursed because of failure to follow these Laws.
In fact it was impossible for a mere human to follow the Laws perfectly.
Even the Pharisees failed; and they tried really hard.
Then along came Jesus, Messiah,Redeemer.
Popular with people; He made them well. He raised their dead.
Yet He broke the Sabbath; you can say He refused to wear a necktie.
He did not follow the Laws except the law of Love and Grace.
Like the Law, a necktie is binding.
It is tied around the neck securely.
The Laws bound Jews securely to a way of life.
Knowing that breaking even one law was as bad as breaking all of them.
Would you choose The Law or Grace?
The Law like a noose `hung’ on the obedience of man.
See the noose like an upturned necktie that man was frequently hung up on
or hung on;
See Grace like an untied tie hanging on a single entity; it is free and flowing free, like Grace.
Grace is free and flows freely from God alone.
Grace! Unmerited favour that cannot be earned!
God did all the work. All I have to do is accept His Son’s free gift.
Out of His love, comes my love and obedience, from a heart of love and not from duty.
I am so thankful for Grace
and my husband is not wearing a necktie to church anymore.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
I got a bit confused because it reads like prose, but is formatted like a poem. I think I would have gone with prose, and not put each sentence on a new line. This really didn't detract from the entry as a whole, however.
Nice job. I like the connections you made.
I noticed some little errors like incomplete sentence or repeating words or phrases like one example would be the word grace.
I think you did a great job of writing on topic. Your transition from the tie example to your message was smooth. Good job.