Him-Dependent: Living a Life Dependent on JesusSample

The Nature of God’s Grace

Can you imagine receiving a fancy invitation to dinner at a Michelin-star restaurant, and upon arrival, you’re handed a list of ingredients and directed to the kitchen to prepare your food? I wouldn’t be showing up for that. This is how salvation is. We are not partners with God—working to uphold one end of a bargain. We are beneficiaries, recipients, esteemed, and beloved guests. The message of salvation is an invitation to enter fully into God's presence and feast at His table until we are full of His goodness! (Romans 10:9-11)

Our salvation does not depend on our works, strength, or goodness. The story of the prodigal son (Luke 15) was not really about the son with all his flaws and colourful failings. The story was about the nature of the father—our God, who is full of mercy and madly in love with us. (Ephesians 2:4-5) He is the same Father who takes away our filthy rags and clothes us with His righteousness. He is the same Father who sacrificed the Lamb, that there might be rejoicing over us.

As believers, our identity is rooted in this recklessness of God’s love for us. There is no part of our journey with God where we can suspend grace. God did not require our input, works, perfection, or even our effort to save us. As believers, our faith is accepting our identity as beneficiaries of God’s gift and recipients of His covenant with HIMSELF to save us through Jesus Christ. Therefore, our walk can only be undertaken in total dependence on the finished work of Christ Jesus because that is where our strength lies! (2 Corinthians 3: 5)

The only condition to walk in the promises of God as believers is faith in Jesus and nothing else. We do not need to offer anything to God before we can access him. God invites us to come as we are, believing only in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. (Hebrews 8:10)

That’s what being HIM-Dependent means—trusting in the strength of God's love through the finished work of Christ. This is where our power comes from. God shows up when we have reached the end of ourselves and are fully reliant on him. The same Shepherd who would leave the 99 sheep to go looking for us is the God who is responsible for us.

What rest we have in Jesus!