DEAD PEOPLE CAN’T EARN GRACE

I have been struggling again with fear. This is hardly my first time being fearful nor my last I would guess. So what do we do when we get fearful? In the past (By past I mean earlier today) I would immediately be paralyzed by it and then get up the courage to quote scripture at myself possibly after making my family miserable by the wipe lash of and emotionally unstable mom/wife. Be anxious for nothing I would condemn myself thinking God must be just as disappointed with me as I am that I am struggling with fear in the first place. Let me save you some time and state that my way doesn’t work. It doesn’t bring peace that passes all understanding to simple feel bad that you are fearful. Scripture on the other hand we know is alive! As alive as it is I have found it’s not a one stop fix it shop. We don’t just get to use it as a band-aid so we can get on with our life and feel happy. Do we view scripture as the very voice of God spoken into our lives? Because that is exactly what He means for it to be. Do we read it and believe. To believe something is to accept that thing as TRUE. So this round of fear I am going back to the basics. Do I believe what God says about me? Because if and when I do it changes everything. Take Eph.2: 4-10, But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ- by grace you have been saved. So if I am going to believe this then this is saying that I was dead before salvation. That means that it was impossible for me to work to gain God’s approval. I was dead. So salvation is completely by grace. Grace being something I did not earn and was a gift free and clear. Dead people can’t do anything let alone earn grace. Verse 6, and raised us up with Him and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, . This one is a little more difficult to wrap our belief around because its future and right now but God didn’t say we had to understand to be able to accept it as truth. I love this next verse because God gives us insight on why in the world he would save sinners. Verse 7 so that in the coming ages He might show the immeasurable riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. I don’t know if there is a clearer description of a God who is for us. If God, the creator of the solar system and space beyond is for me, seriously who can be against me? Including myself. Why even try to be against myself. Energy would be better spent believing what God is saying. Verse 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  I think this truth can hit humanity 2 ways. For the person that has spent much of their life trying to be good enough in there own strength, this is kind of a let down at first. Like, “What, everything I have done for God doesn’t get me extra points!?” For the person who is acutely aware that they are a sinner it can be a relief cause they knew they couldn’t earn it even if they tried. Whichever camp you are in the truth gives freedom and life. Dead people can’t earn grace. It is the grace of God that we can even be saved. We of course need to believe but once we do unto salvation or after as we grow the result is the same peace, joy, self-control, gentleness and so on. Here is the part that is freeing me from the grip of fear, as I believe it. Verse 10 Fore we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Is there work to be done is our relationship with God? Absolutely! But not for points. The motive or our work is not to look good or have our poop in a group. It is because we are thankful. Thankful that God took this dead person and breath life by the breath of grace. We get to overcome death because He died for us. He is for us desiring to give us immeasurable riches of grace and kindness to help us live out lives that reflect the Him. Now these is a truth that will help us stand and rejoice even under the greatest threat of fear the enemy of our souls can dish out.
How about you? Is there something in your life paralyzing you from enjoying the grace and kindness of God? Is there a lie about who you are to God that you are believing in place of TRUTH? I would encourage you to get real with yourself and the Lord and believe His word over your own.
I am not challenging from a place of having gotten it…Even today I had to lock myself in the closet and beg God to give me a better understanding an the faith to believe this grace thing.