7.26.9 "The Good News is: You're not Good Enough!"

"The Good News is: You're not Good Enough!"

2 Chronicles 17:1-18:34
Romans 9:25 - 10:12
Psalm 20:1-9
Proverbs 20:2-3

In Romans 10:2-3 Paul is speaking of the Jewish people. "I know what enthusiasm they have for the honor of God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don't understand that Christ has died to make them right with God. Instead they are trying to make themselves good enough to gain God's favor by keeping the Jewish laws and customs, but that is not God's way of salvation."

In verses 8-10 he continues: "For salvation that comes from trusting Christ... is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact, it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord, and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a man becomes right with God..."

For many of us this is not a new revelation, but it is good that we keep this at the forefront of our thinking. We are not saved by trying to be good. It's only by faith.

Too often there are people who beat themselves up over the fact that they don't deserve God. The truth is none of us deserve God. There's not bondage in that thought, there's freedom!

There was one time I was working with a phenomenal piano player. As I was listening to him play the thought went through my head "I'll never be that good". At first it was a bad thought. I was giving myself a mental beating for my inadequacies. Then it became a freeing thought as the Lord spoke to me. "You're right. You're not that good, but you're the one I chose for this task!" Wow! I wasn't earning God's favor by my actions or by how good I was. My value in Christ was not based on my ability to his will. That was an incredibly freeing moment. My value has nothing to do with what I "do".

There's a humility that comes with acknowledging that we do not deserve salvation. We need to humble ourselves each day and thank the Lord for offering us this salvation that is so rich and free. This will help keep us aligned to him.

Sometimes we try to get rid of our sin on our own before coming to Christ. That's like getting cleaned up to take a bath. It doesn't make sense. We need to come humbly to him and allow him to complete his work in us. According to Romans 10:8 it's easy. "...it is as near as our own hearts and mouths."

There's an old chorus:

Thank you Lord for Saving my soul
Thank you Lord for making me whole
Thank you Lord for giving to me
Thy great salvation so rich and free.



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


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