It's a rare occasion that you meet someone new and start up a conversation when they DON'T ask you what you DO for a living. You know... Where do you work? What's your profession? And I get that people are trying to make a connection, to learn more about us, in the hopes of finding some common ground. But too often, I think we get tangled up in doing, rather than being. I particularly think that's true within our Christianity. I mean, haven't you ever gotten caught up in the To Do List of Religion? Like...
Or whatever else you might put on your list, it almost becomes more like we are checking off boxes to earn our way into the good graces of God rather than realizing that His good grace was available before we ever had a To Do List. And to be very honest, it's taken me most of my life to get to the point where I can wrap my mind around the concept that God approves of me... JUST AS I AM. And just so you don't have to struggle as long feeling that same way, until you finally figure it out too, let me share with you what God has revealed to me. When Jesus came to earth He began life as a baby, grew up as a boy and had a pretty normal life until adulthood so that He could gain the perspective of what life was like for us... so He could know how we see things, how people treat us and how we feel when they do. But when it was time to begin His ministry, and before He had performed any miracles, or had chosen His disciples He went to see His cousin who had been sent ahead announcing the coming Christ. Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan to be baptized by him. When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:14, 16-17 NKJV Now remember, that Jesus had yet to PERFORM any miracles. And here He was being baptized, coming up from the water. The Holy Spirit came upon Him... the very same Holy Spirit that lives on the inside of us. And then this voice from heaven proclaimed from the Father God, himself that He was pleased with Jesus... BEFORE He had even DONE one miraculous thing. God announced that He was pleased with His Son... just because He WAS His Son. That's it... because of the relationship. Because the Father God loved His Son, He was pleased with Him. Now let me backtrack a bit to creation. A couple days ago, I posted about how God spoke the world into being. And I marveled at the creative power of words. (click here to read post) God spoke the world into being.. Day and Night Heaven and Earth Land, Sea, and Vegetation Sun, Moon, and Stars Birds and Fish Land Animals All of those wonderful creations He made with words; spoken commands that caused inanimate objects to obey. And some that never existed to amazingly exist from nowhere. But then, the spoken commands ceased. And God moved into a much more personal form of creation. For to create man, He gathered some of His earth... And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. Genesis 2:7 NKJV This a more personal creation. This handheld, handmade, molded and crafted. This face to face and breathed into... the very breath of life. And special enough to be like Himself... So God created man in His own image, in the image and likeness of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them... And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good, and He approved it completely. Genesis 1:27-28, 31 AMPC Wait. Stop and re-read that last part again. Because we have read it so many times, possibly without grasping what it really means. This is KEY! And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good, and He approved it completely. Let me ask you... have you ever made something all... by... yourself? Really, anything! Even as a kid? Like a science project for school, a present for your mom on Mother's Day, a lemonade stand that no one came to but your Dad. Or even as an adult? It could be as simple as baking a cake. As artsy as writing a song. As fun as building a fort for your kids. Or as career driven as completing a big project at work. But when you're finished... you stood back and looked at it and you realized that it was pretty good. Then you walked away from it... and maybe the next day looked again, and realized... Hey, that's actually, really good! I did that! And you get this pride that swells a bit because that thing you made or did was good. Now remember, that's just like what God said about us. But probably just a fraction of how God felt when He made YOU! God knit you together in you mother's womb... a more personal creation. a handheld, handmade, molded and crafted. face to face and breathed into... with the very breath of life creation. Yes, that's you! God Created you for His pleasure. And just like when Jesus came up out of the water after being baptized and before DOING or performing one good thing for Him... He approved you completely. You see, God is not waiting for us to check off our religious To Do List to get His approval. He is not waiting for us to get our act together, to straighten up and fly right. God is not looking for the perfect, the planned out, the righteous and holy ones. God made you and me the way we are on purpose, for a purpose... flaws and all. And before we can get around to DOING one thing for, or against Him He approved completely. Because He made us for His pleasure. He made us, stood back and was very glad. But where we get all messed up is the lie that we are not enough. That our flaws disqualify us, that our sin and shame makes Him so mad at us that He cannot accept us. That is a lie. Because it is exactly those reasons that He came as a man to the earth to sacrifice His life. He knew all that stuff about us before the world even began. Look at this... For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time... to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:9 NLT Did you read the whole thing really thinking it out? It's not about pre-destination. Don't get wrapped up in that. Or the part about being holy. Focus on the part about... NOT deserving it. We can all wrap our minds around that. Here, I'll use myself as an example even though I applies to you as well. God, who existed before time began, knew I was going to be created. And He also knew that He was going to really love me, but that I would screw things up for myself by sinning and then having shame over my sin. So He planned ahead and decided upon this whole "saved by grace" idea. That is the plan that even though I don't deserve it, God gives me the free gift of salvation... the free forgiveness of my sin. He wipes my dirty slate clean, just as if I had never sinned because He took my punishment... the punishment of death, actually. And then He miraculously raised from the dead and gave me that too. He gave me eternal life with Him forever. Jesus!
Praise His wonderful name. And I honestly did nothing. He planned it all before time began. Before I could have even done something, if there had been anything I could have done. So here's my point. We are always so wrapped up in trying to earn our way in life. And I get that we need to earn a living. That is the way it is on the earth. Yes, pay your bills, please. But in the Kingdom of God, Jesus paid the bills. And I don't have to earn anything. I am free, saved by grace. I can like and even love myself. Not pridefully, but because He approves of me. He is pleased with me and I can accept that freely. Now I am free to ask Him BOLDLY to work in my life to become something great for His glory. And what's awesome is the Holy Spirit that descended on Jesus after His baptism, that was within Him as He walked the earth doing miracles, is the same powerful Spirit the lives inside of me... and inside of you, if you have salvation in Christ! So let us accept ourselves today as God does. Let us come before God knowing that He is pleased with us simply because we are His children and we were created by Him. Word of God train me today... To walk with a new spirit of freedom knowing that I am approved by You, Lord. To boldly BE the one You created for a purpose, rather than striving to DO things to earn Your love.
2 Comments
Lisa LaFollette
9/26/2016 07:40:41 am
Lisa,
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Lisa Wagner
9/26/2016 09:04:24 am
Lisa, I am thrilled that this... the Word of God has been an answer for what you need. These, for certain are not my words. I don't wish to take credit for what only God can do. Only to gather them like puzzle pieces that make a picture people can understand of the amazing God who so longs for relationship with us.
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January 2019
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