Receive

You know, it probably goes without saying, but life is tricky. And being a Christian does not always make it easier.

Recently, I have found myself trying very hard to understand God's will, his plan, his purpose. And since I'm not God, and He is irritatingly silent in revealing his plans on my schedule, I have also found myself feeling as though I must be the problem.

I mean, if we believe in a God who is able to do immeasurably MORE than all we ask, but then he doesn't do more, and sometimes seems to do practically nothing, how do we reconcile the reasons that God seems silent?

It must be me.

It must be that I am not prayerful enough, that I am not humble enough, that I don't speak His name enough, that I don't go to church enough, or that I don't read the Word enough. We know that we should do these good Christian things, but we're human and therefore hopelessly inadequate at doing all the things that we believe God would want from us before he can pour out his blessings. We come to God, and we ASK for great things, but quite frankly, we know we're not worthy, so when our heavenly Santa Claus puts us on the "Naughty List" we are not all that surprised. We're not happy about it, but we make our peace with disappointment because we must not be "doing" enough to earn God's favor.

But that's the point. We are NOT WORTHY! But that's not news to God. It has always been his plan for us to be unable to attain favor through any other means than by receiving his love and mercy.

Galatians 3

2-4 Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? Are you going to continue this craziness? For only crazy people would think they could complete by their own efforts what was begun by God. If you weren’t smart enough or strong enough to begin it, how do you suppose you could perfect it? 

When we became believers we didn't do so by working for it, we became believers simply by accepting what God wanted to give. So why then, as we mature as Christians do we forget that we were always meant to receive, and that our works will not determine whether or not we get what we want. That while we may mean well with our adherence to a bunch of religious rules this legalism is not likely to result in our desired outcome.

We may think we know better. We think "Ok God, I want something, but I know I'm not actually worthy of your blessings so I am going to contribute to this equation to help you out. I'm going to pray every day to show you that I'm helping. You know; Jesus, plus me, equals success!"

Yeah, about that... it just doesn't work that way.

9-10 So those now who live by faith are blessed along with Abraham, who lived by faith—this is no new doctrine! And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. 

We will fail if we rely on legalism or moralist rules. WE CAN'T EARN HIS FAVOR - we already have it! There is nothing wrong with praying, reading the Word, going to church, those are wonderful things, but they are a product of God's presence in our life, not something that will help God bless us.

11-12 The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him. Doing things for God is the opposite of entering into what God does for you.

Just like when we first accepted Christ into our lives, we EMBRACED what God had for us, offered no promises, no works, no rule-keeping; we just received. We were good with whatever God had for us, and that deepened our faith in Him. "Hey God, I'm pretty much a mess. I'm not gonna be able to do this alone. I need you in my life, forever. Can you please help me out?" We brought nothing but a little bit of faith to the equation of salvation but oh, how we received!

13 Christ redeemed us from that self-defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. 

21-22 If such is the case, is the law, then, an anti-promise, a negation of God’s will for us? Not at all. Its purpose was to make obvious to everyone that we are, in ourselves, out of right relationship with God, and therefore to show us the futility of devising some religious system for getting by our own efforts what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise. For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time.

If rule-keeping made us better Christians, if it deepened our faith, or somehow helped God do his work, then we would have figured out the perfect plan for getting what we want from God every time.

We can't do it. I can't do it. I can't "help" God get me what I want. I am called to receive what is given when it is given. And as I receive, then will I pray. Then will I serve, because in receiving, we are reminded that we are REDEEMED, that we have been made whole and perfect by his love.

We don't earn it, we can't make it happen.

God called me to try yet another new church this weekend, even though I have been exhausted by the search for a church home. I have been discouraged. I have been mad. I have been blaming myself for not being a good enough Christian to have found a church home by now. And I have been thinking that the reason I'm not getting what I want when I pray is maybe because I am not "trying hard enough" to follow the rules; Pray. Read the Bible. Go to Church. I have told myself that God is being silent because I am not good enough.

This weekend, at a new church, the pastor spoke about this very topic. I was reminded that none of us are good enough. We don't earn salvation. We don't earn favor. We can't work towards blessings. We receive His love as we did on Day One of our new lives, and then miraculously, wonderfully God responds. He is always calling us to just receive, and in receiving then and only then will we enter the fullness of his plan for us.

 "Jesus, plus Nothing, equals Everything."


- L