When will we really believe Him? Not with lip service or doctrinal statements or quaint songs but, rather, with indomitable commitment, risky confidence and pride-emptying relentlessness. When will we really trust that our acceptance before Him is not tethered to our performance or our worthiness or our potential? In the falling dust of our undeniable inconsistencies, when will we lay hold of courage that allows us to know our security is as strong as ever? Really now, when will we followers of Christ fully give ourselves over to the truth that our standing before God is all of grace or nothing at all?
“For He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him, but has heard, when he cried to Him.” – Psalm 22:24 {ESV}
“The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” – Psalm 51:7 {KJV}
For those reading who have often longed for the day when your sense of guilt, regret, shame and fear no longer attach themselves to your mind and heart, I encourage you to consider the following. I’m wondering if you might employ valid, objective faith and train your soul to easily receive the ramifications of His love and grace which constantly flow toward you in an unbroken torrent. If the following thoughts are not true for you as a follower of Jesus Christ then they cannot be true for me or anyone else. These being untrue would mean that we are hopelessly lost. I’ve spent years courageously denying the lie of my own fallen conscience, that oft-unreliable inner voice, which tempts me to doubt the exceeding broadness of God’s grace. My wrestling match of the soul has never been about whether I have been forensically justified but, sadly at times, whether I am relationally embraced by the Almighty. It is not a struggle of theology but psychology – what I sometimes think or feel, not what I believe. So over the years I’ve chosen to preach the following to myself and have found a hammock for my sometimes restless, doubting soul.
- It pleases God when I run quickly to Him after I miserably fail Him. There is no legitimate reason why I should not trust in His goodness when I have fallen short.
- It displeases the Lord when I “avoid Him” until I feel I am faithful enough, clean enough, consistent enough, disciplined enough or committed enough to be restored to Him
- My sin never diminishes His love for me or His acceptance of me. It is impossible for Him to love me less than He always has.
- On the days wherein I don’t even want to honor Him He still fulfills each of His promises to me. I can force Him from my mind if I choose but He will never loose me from His.
- He never, ever tires of hearing my confessions of weakness and pleas for deliverance. Never.
- When “I am good” God is not impressed or motivated to more fully affirm me. And, really, when am I ever truly good?
- He doesn’t need me at all but will continue to love and pursue me with omnipotence until there is nothing within me that does not ultimately glorify Him.
- His grace to me preceded my actual entry into time and space. I am not significant enough to thwart His sovereign plan for me. His beautiful will is being accomplished, bringing Him glory and, to me, deep & instructive satisfaction.
- No matter what the remainder of my days hold for me it is an unavoidable reality that, in the end, I will be perfected and living forever in the exact same righteousness that Jesus Christ has always possessed. Nothing can prevent this.
- I will witness the final destruction of Satan and each of his demons who ever tempted or attacked you and me. They, nevermore, while I, forevermore.
- I will see the face of my King. I will experience the ecstasy of full deliverance from all that presently disheartens me. I cannot work my way to that reality. It is the most precious facet of His work on my behalf. It began with grace, continues now in grace and consummates by grace.
- The big secret that needs to be revealed is that your greatest deliverance is the deliverance from you. This is what we are really waiting for and it is coming soon enough.
- We are invited by Him to breathe easily and to worship Him without regarding our unworthiness as a mitigating factor. He knows our failures, struggles, weaknesses, sin, and fickle hearts. That’s the reason He has come for us.
Thank you so much for the messages you send us during the week. The people who don’t take the time to read them are really missing out. Today’s is one that hit me right square in the head about how God doesn’t love us any more or any less based on our worthiness. There are so many days I don’t feel worthy enough to even approach His throne for forgiveness or to make prayer requests for others because of my sins. Thank you for reminding us that His grace and love are not earned but freely given through the sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
So wonderfully true!
Thanks for the reminder