Over the last few years, I’ve done a lot of growing and I’ve worked through what I believe and why I believe it. As I’ve tried to live it out, I’ve gotten flack from some people. I’ve been told that I’m too hard on myself because God’s standard is in my sights; but I say I’m not hard enough on myself. I’ve been accused of not fully living in God’s grace; but I say that grace is not all there is to God and I want to fully know the God I serve, not just the parts I like.
I know this may sound legalistic, so just allow me to explain where I stand. I believe that I am a sinner saved by grace from the destiny I deserved in hell. When I stand before Him on judgement day, His grace will be the only thing that will grant me access to Heaven. Positionally, I am His daughter; but I’m not in Heaven yet, so I still struggle against sin. Jesus’ sacrifice defeated death by paying the cost I could not in my lifetime and the Holy Spirit gives me strength to resist sin on an everyday basis, but until I’m in heaven I will continue to struggle against sin. My striving is motivated by my love for Him and my understanding of what He has done for me. As He gives me glimpses of Himself, it makes me want to see more. As He shows me more and more just what He has done for me, it makes me want to serve Him. Then as my relationship grows and deepens, I understand more and more just how much I need Him. 2 Peter 1:3-9 says it this way:
His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.
The God I serve is faithful, mighty, loving and so many other things, and my only goal is to live a life reflective of Him. Will I stumble and fall short of Him? Absolutely, I do every day! But He picks me up and encourages me to keep running; I could not do it apart from that. In the words of C.T. Studd, “Only one life, twill soon be past, only what’s done for Christ will last.”
Proclaiming His Goodness 