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LifeLink Devotional

Thursday, July 8, 2021

My most prominent philosophy of life that contradicts the freedom of grace is this: I tend to live in a work/reward system. For example, if I do nice things for someone they will in turn do something for me. If I please them, then they will do what pleases me. 

We all suffer from this at some level. We are motivated to work by the reward of a paycheck.  We choose to serve others because we want something from them. We act nice and friendly to people who we believe will benefit us and add value to our lives. We even obey the law of God in order to earn His favor.

Earning the work of God in our lives is a contradiction to the nature of His grace.  The Apostle Paul addresses this problem in his letter to the Galatians.

“Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith?” Galatians 3:5

We are stuck in the fleshly philosophy that our works and worth are rewarded with the activity of God in our lives. I am bothered by the preachers and teachers in our world who falsely proclaim that the reason you are not receiving the blessings of God in your life is because you are not working hard enough to earn them. They say prayers are not being answered because you haven’t completed your spiritual duties. They teach that God only responds to people who have earned the right to receive a response. 

My friends, don’t be deceived by such false teaching. The activity of God in our lives is not produced by our religious works. We receive the blessing of God’s work in our lives as a product of His grace. Grace can’t be earned or it is a wage and not grace. God works His will and purpose in our lives because He is good, not because we are. God’s Spirit was given to us freely by faith alone, and His work in us continues by faith as well.

You do not have to live any longer in the spiritual bondage of working harder to receive more from God. You are God’s eternal child by faith in Jesus Christ.  You have been given God’s Spirit by faith alone.  You may now continue to live in the abundance of life Jesus promise by faith alone.  Stop trying to earn more than the infinite love of God you already have.

Pastor John