Why you don’t want to earn God’s goodness to you…

The world is often a tough place to hang out in.  There are so many potential things that could go wrong and a multitude of unknowns.  For the life of me I do not know why some folks get all snarled up at the mention of God and would actually choose to do this thing alone!  Must be some kind of colossal ego trip, ya know?  Well, that kinda brings me to the point of today’s blog.  I thought it might be useful to understand why we should be thankful that God arranged things so that we don’t have to earn His goodness to us!  Allow me to play devil’s advocate for a minute.  There are many, many folks who believe that if we work hard enough and earn God’s goodness to us, then we can receive His blessings.  Now on the surface that sounds okay, but let’s think about what that means to us.  Let’s just say that the blessings I enjoy in my life are solely based on how well I obey God’s Word.  Well now that is just dandy as long as I obey.  But, what happens if I don’t obey (and that folks is the reality of being human)!  Then the blessings stop coming my way?  Now I find myself deserted on an island without God’s help?  Do we bless our children because they always do what we say?  If my son was disobedient for past 10 years (haha that sounds about right) and then he came to me for help, would I reject him?  Or worse, would I enjoy seeing him suffer because doggone it, he’s gotta learn?  Nah, that’s just silly, aint it?  Or how about this?  What if the requirements to get to Heaven were that I have to confess all my sins?  (Which would be works–earning God’s favor, get it?)  How many sins do you think a person can commit by let’s say age 30?  Let’s go with a loose estimate of 3,000.  Hmmm confessing 3,000 sins might take a minute.  And, what if I confessed 2,759?  Or, what if I confessed 2,999 and forgot the one from the drunken holiday party?  Shoot fire, now I have missed Heaven by forgetting one stinking, lousy sin.  Again quite silly huh? 

God in His infinite knowledge has made a way for you and me to be successful even despite ourselves.  We don’t confess our sins, we confess the Savior from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Jesus Christ was born and came into the world to pay the price for mankind’s sins and forever wipe away the handwriting of offenses that were against us.  The Perfect for the imperfect.  The Righteous for the unrighteous.  And, in accomplishing that great feat by walking and obeying perfectly, he forever secured our favor in God’s sight.  Did you get that?  He accomplished it for us according to God’s good pleasure!  So, the sin problem was settled in Jesus Christ.  Surely God knew that you and I would still fall short at times.  (Oh we don’t want to, we just do! ~ Romans 7:15) So God made a way that we would forever have access to His goodness no matter what we do or don’t do!  I know, I know, sounds incredulous, but it’s true!  But what if?… LOL there are no what-ifs!  That’s love folks, that’s what Christ came to bring! 

Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.  Romans 3:19-26

Well folks as VP used to say, “I didn’t write the book!”  Earning God’s favor might have been a good plan if we could live up to it, but we couldn’t – so get over yourself and just believe God!  (smile) 

Personally, I’m thankful that God had the foresight and the wisdom to know exactly what I needed and made a way for me to be forever connected to Him!  (Romans 10:9-10)  I’m not advocating going around living like hell, been there, done that (and don’t want to make that trip again)!  We all know how much it sucks to go astray and then suffer because of it… So no thanks!  What I’m advocating is getting in sync with what God is saying to our day and time.  Oh sure do your best, be good, be kind, that’s wonderful, but don’t get it twisted!  God does not bless you because of how good you are, but rather because you believe what He says!  Believing is what pleases God! 

So to all you WiseGuys that don’t need God, that’s cool..haha, but as for me and my house…well let’s just say we know from whence our bread gets buttered!  Don’t make this ride harder than it needs to be.  Believe God, accept the Savior and quit trippin yo!