View Site Map

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:7–9 ESV

One night we watched a movie where the people made a sacrifice every day so that the sun would come up. One day everything went wrong and they failed to make the daily sacrifice. The people were terrified, but then the sun came up anyway. They found that the sun just came up, with or without their sacrifice. They were practicing a ritual and thought that it was making a difference, but it was only a tradition passed down through generations.

So it can be with us. When I came to the Lord, I read the Bible about eight hours a day, fasted more than I ate, went through Bible College, gave all that I had in the offering plate, but there was still no intimacy in my relationship to God. He was distant and I was trying to earn His love. I knew all about God, I just did not know Him. He loved me the whole time. His love was already there every day while I was busy trying to earn it. I was only ignoring Him and focusing hard on my traditions.

Relax. Talk to God as you would your best friend and be yourself. God already loves you today and you will not increase this love by your works. Of course you should try and live right, and faith with out works is dead, but works without the relationship is a waste of your time and resources. If you miss the mark today, God will still love you just as the sun managed to come up without a sacrifice.