9
to 5 Salvation
For it is by grace you have been saved,
through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of
God—not by works…
Ephesians 2:8, 9
Jimmy couldn’t quite put his finger
on the source of his frustration. He felt like he’d done everything
he was supposed to, yet there was a sense that the task was
incomplete. In fact, that’s how he felt about a lot of spiritual
matters lately.
What’s this frustration about,
Lord? he silently asked. And into his wonder God spoke…“You
are working in your own strength again, Jimmy. You forgot to invite
Me in.”
Jimmy had been here before. As a matter
of fact he’d lived a lifestyle of setting his own goals; gaining
ground for the Kingdom by brute strength and personal wisdom; showing
God he was capable…a worthy Christian!
You see, the enemy constantly
whispered, “That’s right, Jimmy, if you can’t do it yourself
you’re worthless! You have to pull your own weight! You think God
intends for you to just rely on His grace? You have to earn the right
to be called a Christian!”
Satan had been relentless and
persistent, trying to keep Jimmy from hearing God’s encouraging
whisper, “All you need to do is rest in my love, Jimmy. You
neither have to, nor can you redeem yourself. I’ve taken care of
that. Just show up when and where I ask you to, I’ll do the work.”
†
Jimmy is not alone. Many Christians
suffer from the misconception that salvation is a works-oriented
business…a 9 to 5 job, where we can earn our Salvation.
We must come to understand that other
than accepting God’s sacrifice of His Son, and then yielding to His
guidance, any work we set our mind to should be because we love the
Father and want to please Him, not because we must, or can earn a
place in His Kingdom.
Ask yourself: Will what I do bring
glory to God, or to me? If it’s me, I need to check my motives.
Prayer
“Sometimes it’s hard
to lean on You when I feel I’m capable of getting things done,
Lord. Forgive my self-sufficient nature and teach me to learn to rely
on You and Your strength, instead of my own. In Jesus’ Name, amen.”
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