Repeat Offender

This Sunday at ACL, we talked about the gospel and justification. It was a powerful message.

We, as Christians, make it so difficult sometimes. We try so hard to get right with God by following rules and being "good". We trust in ourselves to get us there, all the while getting so frustrated with ourselves that while following all of the rules and trying so hard to be good...we're still not good. Here's the catch: we fall in love with Jesus first, we rely on him, we meditate on him...the righteousness follows. We want to be missional. We want to love our neighbors. We want to follow God. We want to look like Jesus. And...we begin to.

Really...it's so simple. Jesus.

Yet...I am a repeat offender in pride, jealousy, gossip, lust, acceptance in what others think of me, etc. The grace in it for me is that I even get the opportunity to change these things in my life. By the grace of God, these traits become less of an issue in my life. They creep up from time to time, but I see much, much less of them. I attribute this to falling in love with Jesus and therefore, seeing him begin to change my heart. I feel myself wanting to do things, not to follow some rule, but because I love Jesus.

I am beginning to find perfect acceptance, love and justification through faith in Jesus Christ. Amen.