Highly Favored

© Copyright James Yardley and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence

Luke 1:28 The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.

       Have you ever wonder what did Mary do in order to be able to be the mother of the savior?   The angel's announcement of Jesus' birth answers that question.  He told Mary "You are highly favored. God is with you." If you notice, the angel never told her because you've followed every law then you will be Jesus' mother. No, the angel told her: "It is because of God's favor that you will conceive. It is because of his power in you that you will be fruitful."

 Luke 1:29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 

Before Jesus died on the cross, everyone had to obey God's law in order to be blessed. There was no "free-lunch" at that time. Sin had entered the world through Adam and everyone had to pay to earn blessings. The old testament mentality is: "If you do good you get good, and if you do bad you get bad." There was no understanding of the word "grace" or "unmerited favor."  That is the reason why when the angel told Mary "You are highly favored" she was greatly troubled and wondered what kind of greeting was that? In other words, Mary was wondering:  "What do you mean by favor?" She thought:  "I've made mistakes, I've not perfectly followed every moses' law. I've done nothing right for an angel to greet me with this words." The angel explains to her again that God wants to bless her not based on her actions but based on His favor.

Luke 1:31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.” 34 “How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

When the angel told her about the miracle of conceiving Jesus,  Mary looked at her self, thought of her flaws, her age, her civil status and wonder how will this be? The angel didn't gave her more laws to follow, he didn't gave her a lesson in the 10 commandments. He didn't gave her a link to a parenting website either. The angel said: Luke 1:35 “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. It was by the work of God and his Spirit! In other words, God was saying: "My work will make yours unnoticeable"

Mary received God's favor when she said:  "I am the lord's servant May your word to me be fulfilled."  She was humbled to receive God's favor. She wanted her life to be a testimony of it. Maybe she said: "Even though I am not perfect, I want my life to be used as a testimony of grace!" Maybe you are like Mary and you look at your flaws, your performance as Christian, parent, spouse and you wonder how can it be that my marriage will thrive? How can it be that my children will be set free?   Let us answer those questions as Mary did.  We can say: "Even though I do not deserve to be blessed by my actions, and even though I have failed, may your word of grace to me be fulfilled. "

  Today, God's word is a greeting of unmerited favor to us. Jesus is telling us that we do not need to pay for our mistakes. We do not need to perform to be blessed.  Jesus died on the cross so we can find unmerited favor. Our sins were punished in the body of our Lord Jesus.   The Lord is telling us today: "Because of what my son did at the cross you are highly favored to raise your child or to have success in your marriage. My power will overshadow you!"


 If Mary was called highly favored when Jesus had not yet died for our sins , how much more favor have we found today?! We are much more jolly favored ones!

The new covenant makes us succesful

 Hebrews 10:16 This is the agreement (testament, covenant) that I will set up and conclude with them after those days, says the Lord: I will imprint My laws upon their hearts, and I will inscribe them on their minds (on their inmost thoughts and understanding), 17 He then goes on to say, And their sins and their lawbreaking I will remember no more.

Photo by olliethebastard on Flickr

    The previous verses are the main clause of the new covenant. God has promised to write his law upon our hearts.  In other words, he promises to fill our minds and hearts with his word so we can be successful in every area of our lives.  Contrary to the old covenant,  where man had to work to receive God's blessings, in the new covenant God is the one who does the good work in us so we can be blessed. He wants us to be conscious of his work and not of our own.

When God writes his law in our hearts we instinctively do the things that God requires us to do (Romans 2:14.) We do not need to put effort into following the right steps to be successful in our ministry, careers, relationships, diets or freedom!  Jesus has done the work already! His work opened a way for God to write his law in our hearts.

  Many times, when are successful we look back we count the steps we took to get to the top of the mountain. Then we write a formula out of it and think that if we follow those steps again we will have great results. For instance, we may say: "To have a happy marriage follow this steps...," or "to be free from bondage do... ." " To receive the Holy Spirit you need to do..." The truth is that our works are shaky ground and will never save us! If we try to be successful based on our works we will end up being frustrated. It is only by beholding Jesus and His work that our steps can be blessed. We do not have to work to earn success. What work is there left for us to do if Jesus himself said: "IT IS FINISHED!" (John 19:30)

      The bible has examples of people who was successful because God wrote his law upon their hearts.  Joseph is one example. He was very successful because God was with him (Genesis 39:2.) In other words, God put his word in Joseph's mind and heart. Joseph was not sin conscious, he was only aware that God loved him, that God was for him.  That is the reason why he received strength against temptation. When we are conscious of God's love for us, he writes his law in our hearts and as a result we are empowered to run away from temptations.

   Samuel, one of the greatest prophets of Israel, is another example. His mother brought him to the temple at a very young age. At that time the priest Eli was in charge of the temple. Eli did not have good parenting skills. The bible tells us that his two sons were wicked. Neither Hannah nor Eli had the ability to raise a great prophet----specially in a time where no one was able to hear the voice of God.  The reason why Samuel was successful had nothing to do with human efforts. It was God who wrote His law upon Samuel's heart.  God said " I will raise for me a faithful priest that shall do according to my will. " (1 Samuel 2:35) When God writes his law upon our hearts we are able to have his thoughts, hear his voice and do his will.

  As we can see, Joseph and Samuel were not successful because they did everything right. On the contrary, they were successful and did everything right because God was giving them his favor, his thoughts, his word and his power.  In the same way,  in the new covenant we are not successful because we do everything right. We are successful because Jesus did everything right.

  The new covenant  is the invitation God extends us to rely on his grace. Lets remember that it only took place after Jesus died on the cross. Therefore, God can only write his law upon our hearts when we focus on what he did for us at the cross. The more we look at Jesus, the more we are transformed. The more we accept our possition in Christ apart from our works the more fruits of the spirit we will bear, the more freedom, healing and success we will experience.

 Scriptures

 Romans 2:14 14 (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. 15 They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)

John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Genesis 39:2
The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master.

1 Samuel 2:35
And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.


Hebrews 8:8 For finding fault, he says to them, Behold, days come, saith the Lord, and I will consummate a new covenant as regards the house of Israel, and as regards the house of Juda;



Romans 3:20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin.

James 2:10

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

1 John 4:17

In this way, love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him.


Mathew 11:30
For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Tell God about it... (Part 2)

[Picture by jaqian, flirk]

In the previous post we read Jeremiah 3:20-23 (Click the link to read the verses.) We also learned that  Jeremiah was very sad because Salomon's temple was destroyed. Jeremiah, in the midst of his trouble, blamed God for causing him pain. Even though he was hurt and suffering, he ran to God and presented his lament to him. After doing that, Jeremiah changed his perspective about God. He stopped blaming God for his suffering. Instead, He received hope and began to expect God's faithfulness and loving kindness in the midst of his heartache.

Sometimes, we respond to our disappointments the way Jeremiah did. When we face loss we have a tendency to blame God for it. We tend to doubt of his faithfulness and loving kindness.

Like Jeremiah, we can freely come to the throne of God. We can express our  sorrow at the cross of our redeemer. When we do that, we will find that God is not the one who causes us pain. In fact, he is the one who wants to deliver us from evil. The Bible says that Jesus has come only to give us life.  John 10:10  "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." 


The bible also tells us that death and destruction came because of Adam's sin.  As human beings we are born sinners. We do not deserve anything good from this world. We do not deserve blessings. We only deserve death. Romans 5:12 " Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned."   This verse tells us that we need a savior with power to redeem us from that death. There are good news! Jesus Christ came to redeem us from that curse. Jesus Christ died for all of us. He became sin so we may become the righteousness of God. His blood, His death at the cross qualify us to receive God's blessings.

We can come to Jesus and find hope in his finished work at the cross. When we come to him, we realize that God is not angry at us. He does not wants to punish us for our sin any more. He has already punished our sin at the cross.  Jesus took our punishment so we can enjoy a life of victory.  Isaiah 53:5 "But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed."

Jesus Christ is the gift from God that gives us life. We have an assurance that Jesus will bring us out of any storm alive and victorious. His blood is greater than any circumstance we are facing. His name is more powerful than anything that would try to hold us back. There is no sin, offense, heartache that his blood cannot cover and heal  Romans 5:15  "But God's free gift is not like Adam's sin. Many people died because of the sin of that one man. But the grace from God was much greater; many people received God's gift of life by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ." 

Today is a good day to start focusing on the gift of salvation. Instead of placing our expectations in this world of imperfection, let's come to the cross. Let's bring our heartaches to Jesus. He is willing to help us.  When we come to him, we must believe that Jesus' death and resurrection qualifies us to see God's faithfulness.  Our victory in this world is secure in him.  John 16:33 "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

                       

Tell God about it... (Part I )

Hello dear readers,


 I've been reading some verses in the book of Lamentations. This verses have taught me about the merciful and faithful heart of our father God. God can reveal all his kindness to us when we present our heartaches before Him.

 Lamentations was written by the prophet Jeremiah. In this book we can read how bitterly the prophet mourns before God for the destruction of Jerusalem and the Holy temple. According to Jeremiah, The city and temple were destroyed because God was punishing the sins of Jerusalem.

 In our time, God does not punish us for our sins because the punishment fell upon Jesus at the cross. God's wrath was exhausted when Jesus died for all of us.  So, Lamentations seems to be a book that can no longer be applied to us. However, I do think that when we sin we will still have to face natural consequences. We may hurt our loved ones, and our loved ones may hurt our feelings too.

 When people make mistakes or sin against us it can be painful for us. Therefore, sometimes there is a lament in our hearts. This lament may lead us to question God's love for us.

 The reality beyond all the things we go through is that God is always faithful. He never changes. When it rains or when is sunny God is faithful. His faithfulness sustains us. His faithfulness renews our strength. His faithfulness will never leave us nor forsake us. His mercies are new every morning.

  In the book of lamentations we can learn that the secret to see God's faithfulness in the midst of our troubles consists in crying out before God. We can pour out our pain, our every thought, doubt, complaint, and every injustice that's ever happen to us. We can be completely naked before God without shame.

Please, Read with me Lamentations 3:20-23:

20 My soul has them continually in remembrance and is bowed down within me.

21 But this I recall and therefore have I hope and expectation:

22 It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not.

 23 They are new every morning; great and abundant is  has been made to us your stability and faithfulness.


 God invites us to present our cases before him. In other words, God likes when we tell him about the things that trouble our hearts. Indeed, we can read his invitation to do it in Isaiah 43:26 where it says:" Put me in remembrance; let us argue together; set forth your case, that you may be proved right."

 The benefit of presenting our case before God is that He has the ability to change our perspective. He can reveal His son to us so we can see the truth of our circumstances.

   When we tell God about our pain and struggles, He heals our hearts so we can trust again in His faithfulness. We will no longer need to put our trust in people, life or circumstances, which have the potential to let us down. Instead, we can learn to trust in Him.

God surely will show His faithfulness to us by restoring everything that we've lost. He will show us His new mercies every morning in the midst of our trials because He is faithful, and His love will never fail.

Invitation to your heart

Pour out your heart before God. He'll listen, He'll reveal His love and faithfulness to you. Then He will restore everything that you've lost.

 Exercise:

1. Make a list of all the things that have hurt your heart.

2. Make a list of the things that you've lost because of people's sin or because of circumstances you faced in this fallen world.

3. Bring the list before God, pray about each of the things listed there.

4. Tell God: "I expect to see your faithfulness in this area____."  Please restore into me  health, my innocence, my joy, my relationships, my sound mind, my confidence, my trust, my job. (You name it!)

5. Expect and believe to receive double of  health or boldness (You name it!) from now on.

6. Pray in Jesus name Amen!

Love Song

God has a precious way to calm our troubled hearts. His ways are not our ways. He sings a song of love for us in times of despair. His song of love makes our heavy load very light. His lullaby can truly calm our hearts. His secret melody is love.

When times of hopelessness, despair come to us. What do we do? Should we sing songs to God to ease the pain? What if our hearts have no strength to sing? What if our hearts have a raging storm that does not let our voice be heard?
 
Zephaniah 3: 16-17  Says:   Jerusalem will be told:  "Don't be afraid. Dear Zion,
don't despair. Your God is present among you,  a strong Warrior there to save you. Happy to have you back, he'll calm you with his love and delight you with his songs.


Zephaniah is telling us that when life has been hard on us. And when we feel that every reason to sing has died, we can still ask our heavenly father to sing a song for us. When He Sings his song of love over us,  His presence is poured into our hearts until it overflows. His song endures until our heartbeat becomes one with His.  His song will allow us to sing again in the middle of our storms.
 
In the midst of our storms and difficulties, God can sing to us the song that we've been longing to hear. His song tells us: "It is over!" "You'll see evil no more." His song tells us that He 'll take the burdens we've been carrying for too long.

It is amazing to hear the voice of our savior singing to us: "Smile! Rejoice and dance! Dance with the song I sing to you today. Evil days are gone. Fear no more! I am mighty to save you! Dance through life and listen to my song. My son/daughter you are mine!"

 God does not promises us to sing His song for us in the future. His song is available for us here and now! His song was written and crucified since the foundation of the world. His song is named: "Jesus!" Jesus has come to take away all our punishment and He has made our enemies turn back.

Jesus is the song of deliverance God sang over us. He sang it to us when Jesus hanged on the cross and shed his blood on Calvary. His song destroys fear and anxiety so we can live in peace. It removes the burdens and dissipates the accumulated sorrows. It also brings honor to our name and removes the shame of our past. His song will make everything inside of us turn into a quiet river of living water.

If you feel like your strength to worship God is gone, maybe you feel like there is no reason to praise God. Don't worry, just stop and in the quiet listen to His love song for you.

Listen carefully,  you can hear his song in everything that surrounds you. If you listen carefully you'll realize that there are many things to be grateful for. Maybe you have a wonderful husband who is cheering you up. Or maybe your friends invite you over for supper and you laugh  a lot! Maybe someone text you: "I'm praying for you." Maybe you see a child smile, or a nice sunset! Or maybe you are reading this post. That means His song is there.

His song is where you are. Listen to it. Let it soothe your heart and calm your raging storm. 


I have decided to listen to the love song my father sings to me. I will cast all my burdens at the precious cross of my savior. Where death became life. Where my curse became my blessing. Where my savior kissed me with a song of love. Where my father exclaimed: "This is my daughter. I count her sins against her no more. I take delight in her."

Would you leave your burdens right there, at Calvary where He said: "I'll quiet his/her heart with my love" ?


Happy Valentine's day!

Listen to a Beautiful Song the Father Sings to you!

I fear not because He loves me!

[Picture by Sofia Di]

Have you ever been afraid of something? I feel afraid about the future very often. God has been revealing to me some truths that are setting me free from it.  One of those truths is to rest in His perfect love. His perfect love drives out all fear. Receiving his love for us help us to embrace and believe in the plans He has in store for us---plans to bless us and not to harm us.

What is fear?

I believe that fear is a negative faith. When we fear, we focus on the negative circumstances that could happen to us. When we fear, we stop placing our eyes on the truth of God's perfect love for us!

What is perfect love?

Many times we believe that perfect love is our love for God or our love for our neighbors, which can be a fruit of it but it is not the root of perfect love. Perfect love is to receive Jesus' love for us. The bible tells us that perfect love casts out all fear.

1 John 3:1 says:  "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." By reading this verse, I realized that perfect love starts by beholding. We  have to behold what Jesus has done for us. Beholding means to see attentively, meditate, declare, receive His love for us and His forgiveness of our sins.

1 John 3:16  says: "This is how we've come to understand and experience love: Christ sacrificed his life for us"

 This verse makes the concept of love very clear. Perfect love is God's love for us. This is the love revelation that will cast out all fear. Notice, that the verse does not says:  "When we love others we experience love." Instead, it says when we receive Christ sacrifice then we experience love.

The revelation of God's love for us will allow us to trust in him. We can believe that He has everything under control and that nothing we face will ever harm us.

 What about the times we will suffer?

God promises us in Luke 10:19 that nothing will harm us. It says: "I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you."

  As I read this verse and looked back in all the hardships I had to overcome. I asked God how come you said that nothing would harm me? How come then I had to go through all that trouble?

 He showed me that He promised that I would never be harmed by scorpions or serpents. This in fact,  didn't mean that I was not going to have to face them. Instead, it means that God's plan for my life will always reign! I was specifically design to overcome every obstacle in life. Not only that, I was meant to come out of all my troubles better than what I was before!

  Now I believe, that the harm He is talking about is the harm that would paralyze us for ever. And that would leave us completely destroyed without any hope. If The situation we are going through right now is not of victory, it means is not God's plan for our lives. It means is not the end! It is the beginning of our victory.

  God is omniscient, He knows everything! He knew how the world we were coming into was like. He also knew about the enemies that were going to try to prevent us from our divine destiny.

 Since He knew about it, He decided to carefully knit us together our mother's womb. He equipped us with all the weapons, abilities and all the strength we would need to face and overcome every obstacle in life so we can fulfill our divine destiny.

 If He knows that something has the potential to harm us, or to prevent us from our destiny, then He would never let us go through it! It is just like the trees, God doesn't plant coconut trees on snowy places. Those trees are design to endure the heat and the winds. In the same way, God will not plant us in a place that we are not made to resist or that will destroy us.

 God wants us to rest in His love for us. He wants us to know that it does not matter the name of the fire we may go through, it is not meant to harm us. We were made to overcome it. And we are not facing it alone. He is with us until the end of the world. He has sent his one and only son to replenish us with the love we need to cast out all fear.

Some action steps to overcome fear:

1. Read verses out loud about God's love for you.

   Meditate on them day and night. Do it first thing in the morning and last thing before going to bed. Whisper those verses all day long. When fear tries to come back in then declare God's word. Some verses are: John 3:16, Romans 5:8, 1 John 3:1

2.  Make a list of all your fears and next to it write:

I fear _____________________ but I know that God loves me! He will not let me go through this if it has the potential to harm me and prevent me from my divine destiny. If I ever go through this situation that scares me is because I am already equipped to overcome it.

Are you Barren?

by Sofia Di

 Is there something that is not producing fruit in your life? Maybe your marriage, womb, studies, therapy, rehab, job search? Have you been believing for a miracle that has not come yet?  Well,  let me tell you that you are not alone. There are some things I don't see moving in my life like they should be. I believe the reason is that there is a foundation that needs to be lay in my heart so I can have faith for miracles in my life. The foundation I am talking about is to stop living by the law and to start resting on the finished work of Jesus Christ.   


Last night, my sister shared with me Romans 4:17 and she told me that God lead her to tell me that those verses were for me. This morning, I read the whole chapter (I recommend you to do it as well.) There are two things the Lord showed me I could do so I could receive the miracles I expect.


 1.    Receive God's righteousness.

    Romans 4:17 Tells us the story when Abraham received a promise of becoming a father of many. His faith was so great that he did not see his circumstances---he was old and his wife was barren. Yet, he believed and was called father of many.

    If we see the context of this chapter, we notice that the author is talking about having faith in God's forgiveness and in His righteousness. We also see that Abraham's faith in God's righteousness empowered him to be a father of nations.

     Romans 4 tells us that before Abraham became a father of many,  he was justified and made righteous by faith. Which means, Abraham believed that he was in right standing with God. Abraham believed that God was merciful to forgive and cleanse him from all unrighteousness.

   The bible tells us that Abraham was not boasting of his own good deeds. We all know that he sinned---he lied at some point of his life. Still, he was counted as righteous.  In other words, God credited Abraham righteousness not because the things he made were righteous, but because he was DECLARED righteous by God.

    In Romans 4: 1-6  We read that when we work hard to be righteous---in right standing with God. Or when we try to justify our selves----be established just without guilt, then we get we get paid for what we deserve. But if we do not work to earn our righteousness, then we receive an unmerited favor, which is God's grace. And this will bring us joy and happiness because we know that our sins are forgiven through Jesus.

   Through Jesus we can all believe that we are constantly being washed and cleansed with his blood.  He payed for our sins once and for all! We don't have to live under guilt anymore. We've been sprinkled with pure water to have a clear conscience because of Jesus' sacrifice. God wants us to stop striving to please him and start resting and enjoying what he has done.

  All this means is that we, as human beings,  do not deserve a miracle. We do not deserve a single blessing because of the sin that entered through Adam. But through Jesus' blood we can be forgiven and receive his unmerited favor and righteousness.

Can you receive his forgiveness right now? It does not matter what you've done, come to Him! He will embrace you and convict you of righteousness.

2. Get your mind off of your performance and the law.

  

picture by Ajith Kumar

      In Romans 4:11 we read that Abraham was circumcised because he had faith.  I see circumcision as a figure of the law and our performance. Circumcision to me represents to follow all the rules to please God and live in holiness. I also means, to achieve something through self effort.

  The law will makes us focus on what is wrong with us. When we realize all the things that are wrong with us we feel guilty and condemn. Then we try to fix our behavior by following the law but in reality, the transformation of our performance will only come when we believe in what God says about us. He says that through Jesus we are the righteousness of God.

   The Bible says that Abraham first believed and as a result he was circumcised, which became a sign of having faith in God.  In other words, Abraham first believed he was righteous and as a result his behavior changed. Many times we get it backwards, we think that by doing the right things we are going to be without guilt. But it is really by receiving God's grace and believing that through Jesus we are forgiven that we will be righteous. This attitude of being forgiven will take us to have a faith for other miracles in our lives.

  
   You might wonder, how can a life that is not under the law, guilt and comdemnation might help me to receive the miracle I am beliving for?

   I'm glad you asked! I didn't understand this until I read Romans 4:13 where very clearly says: "The promise of God didn't come through the law but through the righteousness that comes from faith."

  Remember the context of this whole verse, it talks about forgiveness of sin. The miracle Abraham expected came because of his right-standing with God. The right standing came as a result of his faith in God and not of his own good deeds. Abraham didn't see himself as a sinner. Instead, he saw himself as the righteousness of God. He saw himself as forgiven! Therefore, he was blessed.

  The miracle you and I are expecting will start coming to pass by believing in the salvation God provided for us through Jesus.  It will not come based on our performance or by the laws we follow. I believe God is asking us to believe in his finished work at the cross so the things that are barren in our lives can start producing some fruit.

   In a personal conclusion, God wants me to receive and believe in his finished work specially when I fail. And He wants me to extend grace to others every time they fail me.  By having faith in His finished work I can obtain the greatest miracles of all, which is salvation. If I believe for the greatest miracle, then believing that all things are possible for those who believe will be a piece of cake!


Remember guilt and condemnation can hinder your miracle. Don't give into it!

A guilt-free conscience

©Sofia Di

     Last year, the Lord showed me many things that allowed me to overcome the challenges I faced. One of the most important truths He taught me was to live a "guilt-free" life through Jesus Christ. I learned that my faith in Him will cause me to produce good fruits.

   The base of this truth can be found in Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

As an old Christian---received Jesus at age 4. I grew up trying to please God in everything I would do. I  didn't understand that God was already pleased with me. In the Songs of Solomon He says of me that I am altogether lovely, I am like a lily among thorns. Nevertheless, the mindset of being a good Christian all the time created a self-righteous attitude in me that would not allow me to see God's love for me.

     I recently realized that my self-righteous attitude was very similar to the one of a pharisee  because I was trying to impose rules and regulations over my life very hard to bear. My joy depended on my performance, if I would follow the rules then I wold feel good about my self. If I would break one of those rules I would beat my self up over and over.

   The problem with the rules and regulations I would impose on my self is that they were never satisfying. Every day I would require more righteous works, more righteous thoughts, more righteous attitudes or words. Condemnation became like a monster in my mind.

   Guilt and condemnation can be an endless cycle in our lives that instead of helping us to overcome our challenges, it would lead us to do the things we hate the most.

  God wants to remove this guilt, shame-based nature in us. He wants us to receive HIS righteousness so we can produce good fruit.

   Our righteousness is not based on our good or bad performance. To God, there is no difference between doing the "right thing"  or the "wrong thing"  because both "works" are counted as filthy rags if they come from our own merit or strength (Isaiah 64:6.) The only righteousness God receives is the one given by his son Jesus Christ at the cross where He died to pay for our sins.

   When we sin we focus on our performance, so we try to make up somehow for the wrong we've made. Sometimes, we try to pay by feeling guilty and condemn. But the truth is that God does not requires sacrifices anymore.  Guilt is a sacrifice that would never please God. The only sacrifice that pleased him was the one made by Jesus Christ at the calvary---we find this truth in Hebrews 10.

   Hebrews is a book that talks about faith, This book teaches us the only way to please God, which is to have faith.  We need to have faith in His son and in HIS righteousness because when we have faith in HIS righteousness then God writes His laws in our hearts and in our minds. This will cause in our hearts a real transformation and it will set us free. We can be assured that our lives will produce a pleasant fruit when we receive the grace God is giving us.

      Also, If we believe in HIS righteousness we will see ourselves and others with God's eyes. We will realize that we have been cleansed from all unrighteousness. Therefore, we are the righteousness of God. We will also see that we have been sprinkled with water so we can have a clear conscience. We are His lovely bride without a wrinkle or spot.  We have been made perfect for the sacrifice of his son. It is good news to know that He remembers our sins no more! What God has forgotten we should forget too! His grace abounds for all of us even when we sin.

     Next time you make a mistake, just remember to take your brokenness at the cross and receive Jesus' wholeness because there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ.  Don't give place to guilt and condemnation because when God sees us, He sees Jesus' work at the cross.

    Lastly,  is important for us to know that the things we do to "please" God should never be the root of our righteousness.  Instead, they should be a result of our faith in Christ Jesus.

Salvation Prayer

     Have you receive Jesus as your lord and savior?  It is only through Him that our sins are forgiven. If you have not receive him yet as your savior, do not be afraid. He is not respecter of persons. We are all accepted into his kingdom. To receive him just pray with me the following prayer:

"Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins, come into my life, I make you my lord and savior. I believe you died for me and you rose from the grave. I believe that through you my sins have been forgiven.  Thank you for the new life I have in you." Amen