God's Perfect Grace

Just a few scattered thoughts this morning as I listen to our maintenance man fix the heating element in our stove, and desperately want a nap. As I was letting my son cry himself to sleep this morning for his nap I was also spending time reading my Bible and something struck me in a new light.

I'm reading through the Bible this year with a reading plan that takes you to three different locations in the Word each day. Currently, I'm reading Genesis, Job, and Matthew. It's incredible to read of man's creation, fall, and filling the world with mankind and more sin, and also one man's unique story of temptation and discouragement, while at the same time reading of the coming of the Deliverer, Jesus. As Adam's family, and Job struggled to walk with God, Jesus walked with God completely. Whereas men fell into sin, Jesus rose above it.

This phrase came to mind today: "I have not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it." Because of sin, and our selfish wills, we humans have so many struggles. And we rarely manage to keep God's laws. Obeying God stretches us beyond our capabilities and we fail.

But in reality, God never meant us to keep the law in the first place. He knew we would fail. All along he planned to send his Son, who would keep the law perfectly, and then open the way by his death and resurrection for us to have a relationship with God based on his own goodness, not ours.

That's the grace of God! He knows we will fail to be righteous and perfect before we even try, so he makes a way before we do. My life as a follower of Christ should not be me trying to be perfect and failing and then miserably turning to God for his forgiveness and favor. No, actually, like Paul, I need to realize that only by Christ can I do anything (Phil. 4:13). So each day I should set forward with this mindset: "God, today I'm going to need your grace. I want to follow you, with all my heart, but I'm completely unable to on my own. Will you enable me by your Spirit to walk in truth? Will you live your life through me today? I choose not to try harder to be perfect, but to rest in the perfect life of your Son. I know that is the only way to victory and satisfaction in you."

God is great. His grace and love are just as great as he is. And by that I am overwhelmed.

I choose to walk in Christ today.