Riding home this morning from work, I had this thought and verse on my mind:
“This is My Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16).
The Father is well-pleased with His Son. Jesus came and lived and died, and His sacrifice was well-pleasing to the Father. He accepted the sacrifice for sin because it was a perfect sacrifice. The Father loves us because He loves His Son, and through His Son, and in Him alone, we experience His love. We are not entitled to His love because we are good or because we earned it somehow by living the Christian life in such a way that he takes notice and sets His affection on us. No, He loves us and sets His affection on us because of His free choice and nothing else. Jesus said that He knew who were His, and we can rest in that sure foundation. And Jesus lives the Christian life well, so well “they named it after Him” as one person has said. So why are we trying to live the Christian life? Is that what we are supposed to do? So many weary souls. So many restless striving. Working. Trying to be committed Christians. Striving to be pleasing to God. Yet all these are done well and acceptable only through Jesus. We agree that Christianity is NOT something that you DO, but it is something Christ has DONE, and we apply that to becoming a Christian. But why is limited to that? It’s like Christ saves us, and then it is up to our resolve and self-determination to “do better” that makes us in close relationship to God. I assume to give up trying to live the Christian life. God never intended me to live it anyway. Why am I so preoccupied with myself, thinking that my sacrifices are worthy of the LORD? Maybe that is what I have been taught.
Yet Jesus does all things well. He did it well when he spoke this world into being, when He formed man in His likeness, when He before time planned out salvation for HIs people. He did it well while He walked on this earth 2000 years ago, and has continued to throughout the history of the Redeemed. Why should I not think He could do all things well in me? For He can, and He will. “It is not longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). So I come to lay it there. I confess that my best Christian performances are shams. My spiritual accolades are but dung heaped upon the idol of SELF. My restless pursuit of trying to be acceptable to God are undermining the finished work of the cross which speaks perfection over this guilt-ridden, sin-stained soul. “As though you have never sinned” the blood speaks to me, and yet I pretend like it doesn’t cover me! So Jesus speaks sweetly to my soul, saying, “I have done it well, and will do in you.” And why should I, one might ask, have Christ as my life? Because it is He whom the Father is well-pleased. No one else will do. No one else can do. Therefore I conclude this morning with these words in my mind:
“It is well, it is well with my soul.”
Why? Because He does all things well. Yes, even in me. To Him who is the source of our salvation (1 Corinthians 1:30), to Him who works salvation effectively on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:18), and for Him who is supreme over all (Colossians 1:16-18) I cry, “Soli Deo Gloria!”
Nice. We talked about something like this a bit at Converge last night… in Job, of all places. Chapter 35:5-8, “Look at the heavens, and see; and behold the clouds, which are higher than you. If you have sinned, what do you accomplish against him? And if your transgressions are multiplied, what do you do to him? If you are righteous, what do you give to him? Or what does he receive from your hand? Your wickedness concerns a man like yourself, and your righteousness a son of man.”
In other words, it’s a joke to think that either our “righteousness” or our sin are enough to affect the sovereign will. The reason we do good is not to do God a favor… it’s that others may glorify our Father in heaven.
“I have taken my good deeds and my bad deeds and thrown them together in a heap. Then I have fled from both of them to Christ, and in Him I have peace.” –David Dickson (emphasis mine)
Thanks for this.
Our Christian Performance is the will of the Lord for our life. Trust me on this one. The father has stated that we are to be found working in him, lest the body of Christ dies. Christ (i.e. CHARITY) must be glorified for the father’s sake, lest there will be no love in the world. The desire of Christ is for us to be glorified WITH him. When I wanted to give up on his organization because of low turnout, God told me, “DO NOT GIVE UP on Christian Performances.” How could I even CONSIDER giving up on something that GLORIFIES CHRIST?? He loves us regardless of our performance, but we shall not take him for granted. We would never do that to our friends, who have been faithful to us in this world. We love them, and support them. DO YE ALSO TO CHRIST… J. T. Gentry / Founder of Christian Performances