Stop Trying to be Good

Read: Galatians 3:1-3

“So then there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God; for whoever enters God's rest also ceases from his labors as God did from his. Let us,

therefore, strive to enter that rest." – Hebrews 4: 9-12

The situation today is much the same as it was among the Galatian Christians in Paul’s day. Having been born again, they trusted in the finished work of Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection, as well as the activity of the Holy Spirit in their life. Then Satan and the Judaizers - religious legalists – seduced them by imposing unbiblical rules and regulations on them to allegedly guarantee them spiritual maturity. They foolishly took part in a useless struggle in which they sought to please God by their works (Galatians 3:1-3).

We do this too. We trust in Christ for Salvation, but then we try to perfect our self by our works. Sanctification - the process of becoming holy and pleasing to God - is a LIFELONG process. There are no shortcuts. We did not come to Christ by our works (Titus 3:4-6; Eph 2:8-10), it was a free gift from God. Therefore, we cannot sanctify our self by our works either. We simply submit to the work of the Holy Spirit in our life and obey God’s principles in His Word. Sanctification and Glorification are just as freely given to us by God as Justification.

Many times, negative input from significant others in our lives conditions us to fail or to live under the heavy weight of condemnation. God wants to reprogram those thoughts with His living Word, which tell us the truth about our worth and our victory in Christ. Failing is not failure. Failing in one area of our life opens us up to the possibility of success in another. We may lose a battle, but Jesus already won the war 2000 years ago on Calvary’s cross. If we fail, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins (1 John 1:9), and to stengthen us to do His work (Philippians 4:13). So rather than experiencing defeat by our failings, we can ask for forgiveness and then ask God to show us what to do next.

As we look for God’s direction, He leads us to do the works He planned for us before the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10). As we seek His will, we walk in His wisdom as His Spirit leads and guides us each step of the way. Regardless of life’s circumstances, nothing can separate us from the love of God (Romans 8:35-39). There is no striving in our walk with God. We do not need to spend time nor energy on trying to overcome the flesh or on trying to earn God’s love. The only striving that the Bible commands us to do is:

           1.) to enter his narrow gate through Salvation
           2.) to enter into His rest.

Hebrews 4:9-12 tells us that we cannot be good enough, holy enough or spiritual enough to deserve God’s love. We already have God's love, which does not depend upon our behavior at all. If the Christian walk depended on us, then we would have no need for Christ’s sacrifice on the cross. He died because we can never be good enough to earn God’s forgiveness and love. It is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Jesus completed the work of our perfection on the cross. Now we only need to submit to Him as He helps us to make a conscious effort to walk in obedience to His Will, regardless of the circumstances around us. As we walk in the Spirit, we do not fulfill the lusts of our flesh (Galatians 5:16). Instead, we put on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and walk in the unity of the Spirit (Ephesians 4:3). As we allow the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit to fill our soul and spirit to the point of saturation, we bask in the Sonshine of His love.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, we continue to experience negative thoughts and attitudes, but we want to have Your mind within us. Please bring us to a place of inner healing and help us to walk in complete serenity through faith in Your goodness. Remind us to set our boundaries to protect us from the negative people in our lives that tear us down. Point out to us those who are already walking in victory and fulfillment, so that we can hook our wagon to Your spiritual stars. We will ask that one to disciple us, and we will follow them as they follow You (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Thought for the Day:

If we live in the moment, and walk in the moment, we can follow the Spirit’s leading one moment at a time.

 

 

 

 

Thank you, Michael Rickard, for the use of your photo.

 https://www.facebook.com/Rickard.Michael#!/MegaPixelMike

Journey to Heaven

Read: Galatians 3:1-3

“My soul followeth hard after Thee

Early in the morning

Will I rise up and seek Thee

And because Thou hast been my help

Under the shadow of Thy wing I will rejoice.” 

- Psalm 63 

Don Moen wrote this amazing song taken from Psalm 63. It resonates in my soul and calls me to live a life of worship to the One who is my help and who hides me under the shadow of His wings (Psalm 36:7) until disaster passes by (Psalm 57:1).

God saves us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but because of His mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through His Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). Although we are guilty of many sins (1 John 1:9-10), and Adam's sin led to condemnation for all of mankind, God's free gift leads to our right standing with our Heavenly Father (Romans 5:16).

God only has two requirements for us in our journey to Heaven. The first is to believe that He loves us and died for us. The second is that we walk away from our sinful nature and follow hard after Him. God separated our journey to heaven into three stages:

Justification is an instantaneous event by which our spirit is Born Again. This happens the moment we realize that we are sinners and ask for forgiveness. Through justification, we are completely saved from our sin.

Glorification is also an instantaneous event, which occurs in our body. When we see Jesus, we shall be glorified like Him. This stage completes our Salvation in Body and Soul, which already started in our spirit in Justification (1 John 3:2).

Sanctification, or holiness, comes in a gradual process throughout our lives. It takes place in our soul – our mind, will and emotions - as we submit to the Holy Spirit on a daily basis. This is a life-long journey.

We cannot sanctify our self any more than we can save our self or glorify our self (Galatians 3:1-3). Justification, Sanctification and Glorification are all the achievement of the Lord working in us by His Holy Spirit. Walking in holiness simply requires that we respond to the work of Jesus Christ in us by His Holy Spirit. We are dead and our life is now hidden with Christ in God (Colossians 3:3). It is no longer we that live; but Christ that lives His life in and through us (Galatians 2:20).

We have no need for dreams and goals of our own. He has a perfect will for us that includes plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future (Jeremiah 29:11). The only effort we exert in sanctification is to walk in obedience to His Spirit moment by moment throughout the day. If we could sanctify our self, then we could boast in our own efforts, and there would be no need for Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross (Ephesians 2:9-10). Paul actually reprimands the Galatians for trying to work out their own salvation in their own power (Galatians 3:1-3). Then, in Galatians 3:11 and Ephesians 2:8-10, Paul emphatically states that no man is justified, sanctified or glorified by keeping the law in his own strength, it is only by faith.

From Justification all the way through Sanctification to Glorification, God does the work in us as we walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16 & 25). In the book of Philippians we read an apparent contradiction to this! It tells us to work out our own salvation! The Bible never contradicts itself, however. The very next verse continues on to say that it is God who is at work in us, giving us both the will and the power to do His good pleasure (Phil 2:12-13).

You may ask, “Why then do we have to do good works? One reason is because God created us to do good works (Titus 2:15; 3:8). In doing these good works, we cause others to glorify God (Peter 2:12). We also construct our wedding garment through our good works (Revelation 19:8). Finally, we earn our rewards in Heaven through our good works (Hebrews 11:6).

 
Prayer:
Father God, if we do not do the works You created us to do, this does not affect our Salvation; but it definitely affects our rewards here on earth and then again in Heaven. It also causes You to find someone else to bless in our place. It does not make sense to disobey You, Lord. Thank You for giving us both the desire and the power to follow hard after You (Philippians 2:13; Psalm 63:8).

Thought for the Day:

It is a privilege to serve God with our lives.