Stop disqualifying yourself in your own mind from the good things of life, from the blessings of God, from the fulfillment of God’s good promises because of faults, short-comings, and weaknesses you find in yourself. Don’t nullify the multitude of good in you because of places you fall short. Don’t count as nothing all that God has done for you at great price. He did it because He wanted to. He did it because He likes you and wants you.
You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrated His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners Christ died for us. If when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son, how much more having been reconciled shall we be saved through His life!
When I was powerless, when I was ungodly, when I was a sinner, when I was His enemy, He reconciled me to Himself – because He wanted to, because it was His good pleasure.
How much more will He do for me now that I am His very own child cleansed by His blood, acceptable by grace, without fault before Him in His love? He will along with Him graciously give me all things! No good thing do I lack, for He has provided it all in Christ.
All of my years, all of my effort in seeking diligently, all of the hours spent in the word and in prayer and in attempting to put it all into practice have not gone unnoticed by God! Don’t let it go unnoticed by yourself and let some present thing you are dealing with or some leader’s or pastor’s ideas as to what you should be like or how you should do things cancel it all out so that you close up your fellowship with God and stop your faith and expectation of good.
Since His love is consistent and unchanging, my acceptance with Him, my daily walk with Him, and my intimate fellowship with Him can also be unchanging.
God doesn’t delight in the one who does everything perfect and never falls short. God doesn’t delight in me because I am fully mature. God delights in those who hope in (hope – happy and confident anticipation of good things) His mercy (God’s attitude towards us in bestowing freely whatever is necessary to meet our needs).
God delights in me when I have an attitude of happy and confident anticipation of the good things He has promised and provided coming to pass for me, when I actually expect Him to bestow freely whatever it is that is necessary at any time to fully meet my needs every day of my life!
God delights in it when my faith is in Him and in His mercy and not in my own abilities or strengths or hindered by negative things or anything else about me. It is all about Him. He gave it all. My part is to receive it. Salvation is by grace through faith from beginning to end.
Romans 5:5-11 – Hope does not disappoint us because God’s love has been poured into our hearts. While we were without strength, while we were powerless to help ourselves, Christ died for the ungodly. God proved His love for us in that while we still were sinners. He helped me when I couldn’t help myself, when I didn’t really even know I needed help.
Hope doesn’t disappoint because love is always present. Love will continue to provide and help and work with me. Love never gives up hope or believing the best of me. Hope doesn’t disappoint because hope goes on as long as God is love. If He gave His son with I was a sinner, how much more will He freely give me all things with Him. He already did what is necessary and is there for me to continue to work with me and in me all that I need.
Romans 8:31-32 – What then shall we say to [all] this? If God is for us, who [can be] against us? [Who can be our foe, if God is on our side?] He who did not withhold or spare [even] His own Son but gave Him up for us all, will He not also with Him freely and graciously give us all [other] things?
Oh, Lord, that I might know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of your power in and for me who believes, that I might come to more fully know the immeasurable, limitless, and surpassing riches of your free grace expressed in your kindness and goodness of heart toward me in Christ (Ephesians 1: 19; 2:7)
Christ died for us. MUCH MORE surely, then, now that we have been justified by His blood will we be saved through Him from the wrath of God. I am not supposed to walk around always fearing some sort of judgment or wrath or feeling guilty all of the time. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, MUCH MORE surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by His life?
So now I can rejoice in my wonderful new relationship with God – all because of what our Lord Jesus Christ has done for me in making me a friend of God. (Living Bible)
Bring all of yourself to the Lord, all your good, all of your positive so far unfulfilled potential, all of your negative thinking and life habits, all of your tendency to fail and fall, including all of the areas you have struggled to change and overcome but have not been successful for years and years – and keep all of yourself in His hands every day of your life.
Entrust yourself to Him and stay there in an attitude of trust. This is where you belong. This is where He can work in you, with you and through you and teach you and help you. This is the only place He can bring to pass for you and through you all the wonderful things He has planned for you. I can only bear true fruit when abiding in Him.
When I let my faults and short-comings separate me from Him and struggle to improve myself and change what needs changing and prepare myself for what He has for me, I am not in His hands; I am in my own hands. When I attempt to “get over it” as many say, I will “stay in it” because I in myself don’t have the ability to “get over it.”
The majority of Christians stay in this place all of their lives and never really get over it; they just hide it and try to live as best as they can as everyone says they should.
And I can enjoy His perfect love and acceptance and daily companionship and fellowship even while we work it all out no matter what I am working through. This is a family situation. He is my Father. He is willing to work with me even if things take time to work out. He actually likes me as I am and likes to work with me in walking out victory.
Philippians 2:12-13 – Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). [Not in your own strength] for it is God Who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight.
You work out your salvation, for it is God who works in you effectually creating in you the power and desire to do His will. He is at work within you both to will and work for His good pleasure. It is His good pleasure to work with me in working out my salvation.
For if while I was His enemy I was reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more having been reconciled shall I be saved (sozo – saved, healed recovered, restored to health, made whole) by His life (zoe – God’s life principle, life in the absolute sense, life as God has it, that which the Father has in Himself and that which He gave to us..
Psalm 37:4-6 – Commit your way unto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. And He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him…
Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight. In all your ways acknowledge him, and He will direct and make straight your paths.