Dear Slavic, Christian, God doesn’t want your works

Dear Slavic, Christian, 

If you stand before God in heaven and say, “God look at all the stuff I’ve done for you. He’d most likely reply, “Great, I appreciate what you’ve done, but is my love enough for you?

What would you say? 

“Yes, your love is enough but I must still earn it?”

 He would say “No, not at all. My Son’s sacrifice on the Cross for your sins is the only payment I can ever receive.”

…That’s when our pride might kick in… We want to be able to have something to show for when it comes to being a Christian. Why, because it makes us feel like we’re enough. And that’s exactly where we get tied up in this never-ending works-based loop. 

God is saying, “You’ve always been enough through my Son’s blood” and we say, “No I can’t simply be enough just as I am. I’ve got to have something to show for.”

He’s saying, “Well, is being made in my image enough for you? Is the gift of grace and redemption on the cross enough for you? Is salvation and eternity enough for you?”

We argue again and say, “No, no. I’ve got to do something to earn this.”

Patiently in return, God says, ”Can you get the earning part out of your mind? Forget that you have to do something to receive my love. You have to do nothing except for accept it freely like the gift that it is! Once you accept my love, pick up your cross and follow me.”

 What does that mean? 

That means you must surrender you life to Jesus. It means you must take your thoughts, feelings, and actions captive and say, “Lord, I can’t live a day without you. I’m gonna put you at the center of my actions to honor you. I’m going to put you at the center of my heart, mind, and feelings-be my God and I’ll forever be your servant.”

Here’s the thing, when you stop doing and simply be for God, that’s when you finally get to embrace who He is. And who is He? He’s a loving father. 

An example I like to show clients metaphorically is when a woman gives birth to a child. 

As soon as the baby comes out of the womb, the baby says, “Okay mom, what could I do to earn your love?”

The mom responds with confusion, “You have to do nothing to earn my love.”

“Well, I must do something because you carried me for nine months and now in order for you to feed me, clothe me, put me in a warm house, I must do something to earn your love.”

And the mom is saying, “No, no, no! Stop. Just be a baby. You’re my child in my possession, I take care of you.”

 And that’s exactly what God wants.

He gave birth to us. He wants to have a relationship with us. He wants us to be dependent on Him. God is saying, ”I am your living water. I’m the breath of your life. Anything else makes you hungry and thirsty in this world?. I satisfy you. But am I enough?”

 Dear believer, is God enough for you?