Receive, Not Earn

Have you ever watched a young child desperately try to solve something that you knew was unsolvable?

Perhaps it was a toddler’s desperate attempts to shove a square-shaped block into a star-shaped hole. Maybe it was a child’s determined efforts to reach something that they were clearly too “vertically challenged” to access. Or maybe it was a teenager’s numerous tries at parallel parking in a spot that was undeniably too small.

As children, we often try to do the impossible without realizing that the answer is much simpler. Switch out the block. Ask for help. Find a new parking space.

I often try to do the impossible when it comes to God. If I can just pray enough, if I can just read enough, if I can just get my act together and finally ditch that one sin - then, and only then, can I truly be close to Him. Have those thoughts ever run through your mind too? It happens to me more often than I’d like to admit.

So many times we try to do the impossible: we try to earn God’s love. If we do enough or be enough, finally, we will look like the “perfect Christian.” Unfortunately, this leaves us looking more silly than a toddler trying to shove a block in the wrong hole. Because these attempts go against the entire nature of God’s love.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

- Romans 5:8

God didn’t choose us on our best day. He didn’t pick us because we finished our yearly Bible reading plan, or because we finally kicked our bad habit.

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus died on the cross for us on our worst day. In our darkest moment. In the thick of our sin and struggle.

He picked us up, dusted us off, and said, “This one. This is the one I want.”

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,

39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

- Romans 8:38-39

Paul tells us that nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons. Fill in those words with the things that you fear will be the reasons God changes his mind about you.

Neither the divorce nor the affair. Neither the imperfection nor the financial mistake. Neither the alcohol nor the lack of discipline. Nothing will separate you from the overwhelming, unending, never-failing love of Christ.

So, would you stop trying to do the impossible?

Would you stop trying to earn the love of Someone who has already freely given it to you?

Pastor Jared shared with us this past Sunday that God wants to do things for us - not because we’ve earned it, but because we are His children. The last time I checked, I don’t think we spend ages 0-5 trying to earn our parents’ love. We accept it because we have no other choice. It’s already there, and we need it to survive.

What if we thought of God’s love like we did a parent to their infant? It’s already there, and we need it to survive.

Would you stop trying to earn it?

Would you let Him love you?

Cristina Schmitter

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