Stop Trying So Hard

It's been brought to my attention recently that I haven't been living out the truth of the gospel. I haven't been receiving God's gift of grace and love, I have been trying to earn it. I was trying to earn forgiveness and earn the right to be loved by God. (it's not possible by the way) Of course, I had no idea I was trying to do this, I thought I was doing well in my relationship with God, but low and behold, the truth emerged.... The truth is we do not deserve God, we deserve hell. The truth is God extends (gives freely/willingly) grace to us, yet the irony is, we still try to work for it (earn it, prove our worth)...at least I do... And that's wrong. I see myself according to my sin, and I see the deserving consequences, and then I try to make up for it. I try to apologize to God by showing Him that I really am good by my actions, my thoughts, and my lifestyle; even my prayers and motivation. I work so hard to separate myself from my sin and my sinful nature. But that's not what my focus should be on. 


Nowhere in the Bible does it say to makeup for your sins, work to prove your worth, restore yourself, atone for your sin. Really, the Bible says nothing about me, scripture isn't about me, the gospel isn't centered around me. The Bible is about JESUS CHRIST. The Gospel is centered around the truth, promise, grace, love, righteousness, mercy, justice (and so much more) of our SAVIOR and LORD. The Bible says pursue GOD. chase after Him. hide yourself in Him. stand on His promises. accept His grace. rest in Him. trust in Him go to Him. believe in Him. Everything revolves around Him. (as it should) He is the one who has done everything so that I have to do nothing. That's so great, that's amazing and freeing and encouraging- God did everything so I don't have to do anything!! WHOA.


And yet, here I am, living my life according to ME... what I do, what I can offer, what I can be, what I want, what I think I deserve, what I have... and not what God has done, is doing, and will do. That's crazy, irrational, and illogical to do; but so many of us, in our own way, try to earn the gift God has given to us freely. Our lives are full of busy schedules, worry, anxiety, doubt, hard-work, successful careers, good grades, material possessions, empty purpose and value, relationships, failure, fear, and so much more... We try so hard, to do something, to accomplish something, to complete something, to prove something, for that which is already done!! If we are His children, then God sees us through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ- spotless, perfect, blameless, righteous. Isn't that what we are working so hard to attain?? YES. Isn't that what we deeply desire?? YES. but we constantly forget (overlook) the fact the Jesus Christ willingly completed that on/through the cross. He expects nothing from us, and rightfully so. There is nothing we can do, say, or think that will earn us the right to be seen as covered by His blood. We need to stop thinking we can.


Yet, it's because of who He is and what He has done that He continues to see us through the blood of Jesus. He continues to love us through the blood of Jesus. He continues to be gracious and merciful to us through the blood of Jesus. even though we don't deserve it. This is such a wonderful truth and proclamation of the gospel! I can say, all believers can say, "I am not accountable for my sin, I am not guilty of my sin, I am not ashamed of my sin, I do not have to bear the burden of my sin- GOD DID IT FOR ME." all I have to do is accept that. (and sometimes that's hard for us to do. and if it is hard, we need to pinpoint the sin, that is standing in the way of us being able to accept the grace and love of God, lay it down at the feet of Christ, and bask in the joy of our Lord)


2 Corinthians 5:19 says "that is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation." ...'God was reconciling the world to himself', He was resorting us, the world, His people to Himself. HIM, JESUS CHRIST!! He reconciles us to himself. we don't, we can't, reconcile ourselves to Him.... 'not counting their trespasses against them', He does not hold our sin against us. the opposite is true. He frees us from the bondage of our sin, and restores us to himself, because of the blood of Jesus. He entrusts this message to us; we have to truly believe this in order to share it with others. We have to believe that we are weak and incapable of restoring ourselves, and that ONLY Jesus Christ has the power and ability to restore the world to himself. Do we believe this?? Do I believe this?? Do we live like we truly believe this?? Do I live like I truly believe this??


Colossians 1:20 says "and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross." God is the only one capable of restoring us. He is the only one capable!! because of the blood He shed on the cross. The complete work was done. There is nothing left to do. This is great news!! There is nothing left to do. No debt to be repaid. No guilt to bear. No works to give. Nothing is left!! God took it all, He did it all. The grace of the gospel is this!! We have only to accept His gift, given to us through the work of the cross, the blood of Jesus Christ, that was shed to cover ALL (past present future) sin for every single person. My God is so powerful, so amazing, so wonderful, so loving, so gracious, so merciful, so perfect! There is nothing I can give to Him, yet He gave everything to me. all there is for me to do is accept that, believe that, trust that, and live according to the blood of Jesus that covers me. 


[He requires nothing! so stop trying so hard.] 
live under the cover of the blood of Jesus. see yourself covered by the blood of Jesus. see yourself as God see you. live as God intended for you. 
[stop trying so hard. there is nothing left to do.] 
REJOICE in this, EXULT in this, REST in this. this is good news for us. this is grace given to us. this is love of our Father demonstrated for us. 


{the blood of Jesus}

{At the foot of the cross, I fall to me knees, As your blood washes over me, You lift my head,  It's only by your blood I can lift my face to You, Because of what you've done on the cross, I know I can enter into Your presence, Knowing I'm forgiven and loved, As you hung on the cross, took my punishment and my pain, You saw my face in the crowd, Yet still you loved me, At the foot of the cross, I fall to my knees, As your blood washes over me}