For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10).
I've written about this verse before:
But whatever gain I had, I count as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith--that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead (Philippians 3:7-11).
People have such drastic misunderstandings of grace. Either they disregard it entirely and try to gain salvation through their own good works (which is what every major world religion does, by the way...might as well become a Buddhist); OR they think, "God loves me, so I should just do whatever I want." Well, my friend, I hate to break it to you, but as my favorite street evangelist Todd White likes to say, "It's not about you."
I think humans inherently think everything is about us, so we like to make the salvation story about us when it's really about Jesus. Yes, grace is about how much the Father loves us; but it is mostly about Jesus and how much He loves the Father. It's about what Jesus did, not what you can (or can't) do.
We seriously waste so much time thinking about ourselves. Evaluate your thought processes. I know my first thought when I wake up, usually, is me--getting my breakfast, getting ready for my day...or simply wanting to sleep in.
{Editorial comment: This is really not what I started to write about, but you know what? I'm just going to keep going.}
Let me encourage you today with this sweet, relieving statement: it's not about you, it's about Jesus Christ.
That takes a lot of the pressure off, huh? I believe that's a word for somebody today.
If we were all to spend a lot more time thinking about Jesus and talking with Jesus and trying to get to know Jesus, we would spend a lot less time arguing about "faith versus works," and what grace really means. Because we wouldn't care about ourselves anymore. We would KNOW grace.
Grace is a person.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14).
All of you who can't let go of yourselves, who put pressure on yourselves to achieve righteousness, or put pressure on others because you don't think they're achieving it: STOP. Let go and offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to the Lord.
I promise you guys, it really really is that simple.
If every one of us did that, evil would be crushed. If every one of us woke up in the morning seeking His face and His heart, there would be no need to argue about righteousness. Seriously.
I know it's actually easier to try to earn favor. It's what you're used to, and it's how the world works. But we just need to submit. Yield. Relent. Ask Him who He is, ask Him what you should do--ask Him anything.
Didn't He say "anything" (John 14:14)?
We don't need to have a theological debate about it. God is not trying to confuse us. Ask the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit will show you the Father. John 16:13 is not just for special people. It's for everyone who believes.
You might be hearing that voice of caution in your head right now, like, "eh...but that's how people go crazy...He doesn't really speak to everyone...surely not....better to figure things out on my own."
That's a lie. I'm not condeming you for believing it. But if you are believing it, you need to deeply evaluate your ideas about who God is. Would a good Father neglect and ignore His children? Would He play favorites?
Come on, guys. Take some time on this holiday and really sit down and think about what you believe. Examine your perspective about who He is. You may be surprised.
Paul's focus was not on himself. He counted his entire identity--everything he had done up to that point, including his righteous walk as a Jew and persecution of Christians--as loss...rubbish...garbage...in favor of what? Knowing Jesus Christ.
Paul wasn't thinking about himself, man. His eyes were on much bigger things than that.
For some of us, this is a revolutionary idea. For others, it's just a reminder. But I'm serious when I say that I sincerely want you--and me, too--to know him and the power of his resurrection.
{Editorial comment: Apparently I should fast coffee and dessert more often, because they're the only substances keeping me from saying exactly what I think.}
You can keep thinking about yourself if you want. No one's stopping you. But I can promise you that your life will be pretty miserable that way. You may not feel like it's miserable right now, but that may be because you haven't experienced the surpassing joy of walking daily with the Holy Spirit.
Stop over-thinking it.
Ask Him to show you where you're prideful, because that's where doubt comes from: pride. Plain and simple. I promise you that peace, unshakability, will come over you when you know your identity is solely in Christ. Once He cleans that pride out, you'll be much lighter, and running the race will be so much more fun.
For more on running, stay tuned for my next post!
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