"1Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God." (Romans 5: 1-2)
Jesus has already justified me before God the Father.
Already.
Why a lot of Christians find that they struggle in their lives flows from the false notion that God has not finished the work.
If we feel bad, or if we see bad circumstances in our lives, we falsely conclude that we have done something wrong in our lives, or that God is punishing us from something which we have or have not done.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Part of the reason why I believed that the work was not done? I was working "a program" which was supposed to help me maintain some kind of life before God in my own efforts.
I cannot just rail against AA, though, or other man-centered religious programs. I have to acknowledge that my own thinking, apart from the revelation of the Word of God, gave me the impression that I could figure things out on my own.
I would read the Bible much of the time because I wanted to feel better..
However, the reason that I felt bad, in many cases, was simply that I was trying to feel forgiven, when I was supposed to submit to the truth of God's Word, and then the feelings would follow.
Paul warns all of us about being preoccupied with our feelings:
"For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace." (Romans 8: 6)
For us to think about our feelings, or to focus on our feelings instead of His Word, creates frustration, pain, despair, and ultimately death.
We are now children of God because of Jesus, and we come to Him as our Daddy!
He is our Father now! There is no reason for us to beg and plead with Him as if He is some stern task-master.
In fact, for us to beg and plead before God suggests that we can (and must) do something to earn His favor. Paul has this to say about our efforts:
"For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." (Philippians 3: 3)
Resting in His righteousness is hard for us, because much of our learning, training, and the traditions which we have learned, whether from our parents or even our churches, imposes on us doing our part, as if we have a part which we can add:
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing." (John 15: 5)
then
"But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." (1 Corinthians 15: 10)
He is already working in us both to will and to for His good pleasure, too (Philippians 2: 12-13)
Instead of asking God to do something, let us start asking God to reveal to us all the things that He has done and is doing already:
"17That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: 18The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, 19And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power," (Ephesians 1: 17-19)
and then
"16That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; 17That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, 18May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; 19And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3: 16-19)
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