Daily Nuggets of Grace Part 3 Innocent!Sample

Quit The “Try Harder” Act

God put a banner over your head. It says LOVE. He traded our filthy rags for the beautiful apparel of extravagant grace suited for royalty. When we accept His gift of salvation, guilty stains are washed away. Our Holy God declares us innocent. He not only refers to us as His bride dressed in white linen but also seats us at His right hand in the heavenly realm, a place of rule and authority.

We hold a genuine spiritual document that says “Nothing owed; paid in full.”

When Christ paid for our sins over two thousand years ago, we had not been born yet. Each one of us was in the future, so He has already covered all our sins of tomorrow too! Amazing.

But do you ever worry that you’re not good enough? Do you feel guilty that you’re not a better Christian, but think you should be? In Jesus’ grace, we find freedom from these chains.

Worry and guilt, even about spiritual things, reveal a lack of faith! They also lead us to be driven, like a hamster running on a never-ending wheel. We try harder but don’t move forward, eventually giving up in despair. How exhausting!

But Jesus frees us from this grind. We just need to trust what He did and stop trying to do it ourselves. Christ accepts you! God delights in you because you are in Christ.

If Jesus paid for our sins in full, can we just run wild and do whatever we want? We are certainly capable of that, but why would we? Although our salvation is intact, continuing to choose sinful pathways will hinder our fellowship with the Father. As Galatians 4 puts it, God has made you His child.

Why turn back to the weak and miserable principles of serving Him by trying harder? Don’t rely on your own strength. Enjoy His strength in You.

Reflect and Respond

Our most beautiful gift is our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Our Daddy longs for our fellowship, not slave-like service. Examine your view of this relationship. What conditions have you put on yourself to try to feel worthy of His love?

God invites you to stop “trying harder.” Trust Jesus fully and know that God is pleased with you in Christ.

Pray

Lord, I give up trying harder to get what I already fully have in Christ: Your acceptance. I depend on Your Spirit to joyfully live out my freedom, including the power to obey You.