Gosh, I am so
broken. I am such a sinner. I don’t forgive or give grace very easily. I often
choose who I love and how much love I will show them. I live selfishly. I’m
more concerned about other’s approval of me rather than God’s glory. I can (and
usually do) get angry quickly. I’m prideful. I think I’m better than other
people. I get frustrated with bad drivers. I don’t trust God because I think I
know best. I easily criticize others. Etc…
What amazes me
is that even though God knows all of this, He chooses not to see it.
“For
he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in
his sight.”
–Ephesians
1:4
He
chooses to see me as blemish free. Perfect. Flawless.
Wow.
Wow. Wow.
And
this is not because of me, but because of Him. Because of the blood Jesus shed
for me.
“For it is by
grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God.” –Ephesians 2:8
Grace. Mmmmhmmm. I’m so undeserving, but I am in desperate need of
it.
Yet,
I so often think I can hold up all the good I’ve done before God and say, “Look
what I did. Doesn’t this make me worthy of your love?”
And
He says, “No. It doesn’t. Not even all of your accomplishments are enough to
cover all the sin you’ve committed. But my love is. My love is enough.”
I
don’t really fully understand it. Many days, my heart doesn’t believe it.
But
I know it’s truth. I know what God’s
word says.
“This
is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the
world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but
that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” –1John
4:9-10
Jesus’
death and resurrection conquered my sin for me. And now I can choose to live
out of a place of victory. Dang.
This
is a truth so foundational to the Christian faith, but so easily forgotten by
me.
I
desire for my heart to be more captured by this eternal and unfailing love each
day. My hope is that I would more consistently live out of this place of grace.
So, here’s to stepping into this next season of life searching for (and
finding) more of God’s heart for me.
