Day 68 "The Motivation-Condemnation-Rededication Cycle"

Be forewarned: If you are looking to live out your Christian life concerned about how your performance affects God, you are bound for frustration.

The primary reason for the frustration will be the underlying premise for which you are basing your actions upon: that your worth and status with God is dependent upon how you act and perform before him. If you don't think this is so, let me ask you a simple question:

How do you see your circumstances that surround you? Do you ever see them as God blessings for doing well or his punishment for when you do bad? If so, you are thinking that God rewards you or punishes you based upon on how you perform. Have you ever felt you have done enough, that God is finally satisfied with you, and that you can finally rest? When will you ever really know if you have made the passing grade with God based on your actions and trying to follow all the religious laws and regulations as your to do and not to do list.

The motivation-condemnation-rededication cycle is a perpetual loop which locks you into the performance driven model. You are motivated to serve God and desire to draw close to him by your attempt at living a righteous life. But we know that God's laws only wind up condemning us and showing us our need for a savior. But, alas, we see our downfall and failure in keeping God's way. But, rather than acknowledging that we can't live this lifestyle in our own efforts, we set out to try even harder: read the bible more often, pray more, share the gospel with more people, try and live a better lifestyle. Thus, even with the best intentions, we will grow increasingly exasperated with our desire to perform, for which only a rude awakening awaits. You will find in Romans and in Hebrews a clear explanation that the law, God's law, was only a shadow of the good things to come and that they could only show us that we are incapable of living by it and that their very words stood to condemn us and show us our need for a savior. No matter how hard we tried, we could not save ourselves.

"Therefore, no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sins." Romans 3:20

"But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify." Romans 3:21

"The law was added to that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more." Romans 5:20

"So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ." Romans 7:4

"But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we may serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code." Romans 7:6

"because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us."

"Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes."

Romans 10:3-4

"For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law."

Romans 3:28

"Now we who have believed enter that rest." Hebrews 4:3

"If perfection could have been attained through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the law was given to the people), why was there still the need for another priest to come-one in the order of Melchizedek, not in the order of Aaron. For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must also be a change in the law."

Hebrews 7:7-12

"The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless (for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God." Hebrews 7:18-19

"but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore, he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:24-25

"For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another. But God found fault with the people and said:"

Hebrews 8:7-8

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declared the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them down on their hearts." Hebrews 8:10

"now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant." Hebrews 9:15

"The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming- not the realities themselves." Romans 10:1

Then he said (Jesus), "Here I am, I have come to do your will." He set aside the first to establish the second. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all." Hebrews 10:9-10

But when we rest in the fact that Jesus did make us holy before the heavenly Father through his sacrifice on the cross, our basis for our behavior totally changes. When we come to this understanding, we are no longer driven to achieve something with God, our behavior and actions will result and overflow from our gratitude for what God has already done for us through Christ. The model has changed forever from being performance driven to that which is being led by grace.

*************************************************************************

If you fully understand and believe all that is above, then...

Welcome to Graceland!

In his love, see you tomorrow...

"Carpe Momentum in Love" (Seize the moment in love)