Freedom

I had a revelation this week. This occurred because of a conversation I had this week. The person I was talking with was saying that Christianity is really difficult because we can never measure up. At the time of that conversation, I agreed with his statement and we moved on. As I look back now, however, I realize there is more to it than that.

Yes, our inability to measure up makes Christianity difficult. But, it is also the essence of our faith. Our shortcomings make the faith difficult because we get down about ourselves and we realize that we are and never will be good enough or worthy of God's grace. If it weren't for this, though, would there even be any need for Christ? If we could live worthy of grace, then we wouldn't have needed a Savior. So even though this is a difficult part of faith, it is absolutely necessary. This fueled my next train of thought.

The thing that we are trying to measure up to is the Law that the Jews attempted to adhere to for thousands of years unsuccessfully. This Law was and is to this day a huge burden for them. A weight that was and is ever on their shoulders. They simply had no choice; they had/have to live their lives trying to "measure up." I reasoned that if the Law was a burden, and that if Christ came to set us free from the Law, then this truth, that we can never "measure up" should set us free! Instead of making our focus the Law, like followers of God had to do for centuries, we are able to make God himself our focus. The burden of sacrifice is gone, because Christ paid that debt on the cross!

Of course this is not to say that we shouldn't care about living a God-honoring life. In fact Christ called us to a higher standard. But whereas before Christ the Law was upheld in just trying hard and offering animal sacrifices, now if we are pursuing Christ as our ultimate joy and delight then the Law will be upheld. If our sole focus is Christ, then we will live lives that honor and glorify God and his Son.

So don't let your failures drag you down. Bask in the glory of the love and grace of Christ and be free!