Living Life for Christ Alone

Deep in the fabric of my being, I have long had this notion that service to God is what we do to say thanks to God for the gift of grace He has given us in His Son, because I owe it to Him and need to prove I’m worth it.  It started as a notion but then grew into a passion. A fiery passion to not only say thank you to God by doing as much good as I could do on this earth, but also to prove to Him and to others that I am worthy of His love.  I am valuable because of what I do, right? Wrong.  But this belief is a snare that eventually had me tangled. Life has a way of slowing us down -sometimes crippling us of our human strength and zeal and leaving us with nothing to offer God but our broken selves.  In that place of brokenness, I also felt worthless.  Why? Because my worth has always been tied to what I do. The more I do for Him, the greater my worth, the more He feels my gratitude.  It's crazy how the enemy can take a good desire and twist it into a source...

“God is our Refuge and Strength; a very present help in trouble.” (Psalm 46:1) “For what great Nation is there that has God so near to it, as the Lord our God is to us, for whatever reason we may call upon Him?” Deut 4:7   Is there anyone outside the people of God who has Him so near as we do? What Godless, Christless person has God so near as the child of God? This is what makes followers of Christ stand out from the rest of the world –God is available to us for the most minute of need. God is as near to us as each breath of air we breathe.   "Why," You ask? Have you never thought of the fact that a true, loving earthly father cannot forsake his children? How much more then can a heavenly, perfect Father who is better than the best father we can imagine or know on this earth be unshakably faithful to those He has bought and adopted as His own? He bought us with a high price, and He did not buy us in order to throw us away or forsake us.   Oh soul, He is always closer...