We Start by Grace and We Walk by Grace Part II

Continuing today from my last post of November 2…
…We didn't earn our entrance in the kingdom of God and we can't earn the blessings once we are in.

The Bible tells us that Jesus made us righteous by taking our sin on Himself. If I was made righteous then I am just as righteous as I am saved. Why is it so much easier for us to declare we are saved than to declare we are righteous? If we have right standing with God why do we try to work for His blessings? I submit to you that what God would rather us do is open our hearts wide to Him ---allow Him to love us completely, and as we renew our minds to His truths simply believe what He declares has already been provided for us. It is the very same process we followed to be born again. We heard the gospel which changed our thinking; we believed it and we opened our heart to His grace and mercy. This same course now will give us the desire to imitate Jesus in our walk and will bring the blessings in our lives.

Rom 3:24 tells us “[All] are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy), through the redemption which is [provided] in Christ Jesus.”

So again, in light of these scriptures, what is it we are trying to prove to God by all our doing? He isn’t impressed by our performance. He has already made us acceptable to Him. And why is it we berate and beat ourselves up every time we falter in sin or make a mistake? It is a waste of precious time when we could be moving forward in Him. God much more delights when we come running to Him in our weakness.

Much like the story of the Prodigal son... “And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.” The father in this story didn’t ask any questions, he didn’t make the son grovel around because of his bad choices & behavior, he didn’t make him wait a while before he showed him he was in good standing… no, with love, compassion and kisses he started the celebration immediately just because the son came back to him!

If you are a Christian today struggling with sin/condemnation in your life---run to your Father God. Accept His grace and mercy just as you once did – in the beginning. Allow Him to love you lavishly as He celebrates with you. All your right doing will follow… effortless change will come from the inside out as you respond to His love and goodness and as you believe you are righteous because of His sacrifice—not your own.