because I am going on the World Race. That is a lie, but that is a lie I have believed the past few months without even realizing it. The root of this lie comes from believing that we have to do works to earn God’s love.
Much of our life we spend trying to earn. Earn trust from our parents, earn praise on the sports field, earn respect in the classroom, and earn a paycheck. So it is a human response to think that our Creator requires action in exchange for love, but the good news is He does not. Everything in life tells us we have to DO to receive. But as Christians, when we look at the cross, instead of do we see DONE. The work has already been done; it is finished. We can now be free from this do do mentality (lol.)
In James, it says that true faith produces works. When you come to know Christ and His love you are often inspired to serve Him as a response of gratitude. I want a faith that serves as an over pouring of God’s love, not a faith that serves as an attempt to earn God’s love. We cannot earn something that has already been paid for. That’s why it is important to remember that faith = works + justification NOT that faith + works = justification. If we had to have a resume of faithful works to earn God’s love and mercy than what was the cross for?
We are first and foremost sons & daughter and secondly servants. He is first our Father and secondly our Lord. Authority doesn’t require love, but fatherhood does.
So God does not love me more because I am going on the World Race to serve for the next 11 months. He delights in our acts of obedience, but His love remains as constant and steadfast as it has always been.
Paul’s prayer for the Church of Ephesus is that they would comprehend the width, depth, height, and length of Christ’s love. That’s a prayer I have for myself over these next 11 months. Join me in trying to grasp the amount of love God has for His people.
