Born as a person who wants to please, I am devastated when
I realize that I often fell short of my goal. I have always striven for
perfection in myself in order to find favor with others. After I came to
Christ, my housemate shared with me these key verses that taught me not to
stress over reaching perfection (Galatians 3:1-3).
It took me another ten years to come to understand the
full meaning of this and how to actually let go and let God. The first step was
to recognize that I was one of the world’s best Codependents, and that God
wanted to set me free from that bondage. It was a revelation to me to realize
that I did not have to solve all of the problems of the world and then feel
like a martyr because I neglected myself in the process.
We often solve a person’s problems for them, which thwarts
the hand of God in their life. We rob them of a blessing and we force God to
have to produce another trial for them to overcome in order to strengthen their
faith. It has been said, “Do not fix the fix that God has fixed to fixed
someone; or God will just have to fix another fix to fix them!” We cause them
to needlessly suffer another trial.
The foolish Galatians (3:1-3) were trying to perfect their life
after receiving salvation as a free gift. They thought they had to earn their
sanctification. God calls us to enter into His rest (Hebrews 4:10) and to leave our
perfection to Him! We do not earn salvation or sanctification, because it is
GOD that is working in us and giving us both the desire and the power to live a
holy life (Philippians
2:12-13).
Prayer:
Father God, remind us to accept our privileges as Your
children and heirs. Christ in us is an ever-present reality that we often
ignore. Teach us to tap into the amazing spiritual power that You provide for
us, and to walk in Your ways every step of our day. Thank you for becoming a
man and paying our sin debt and giving us the victory over both sin and death (1 Corinthians 15:57).
Thought for the Day:
Do not fill your day with ceaseless activity, but walk in
the power of God’s Spirit and reap both productivity and fulfillment.
