::Checklist::

Are you trying to make it on your own?

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,

~1 John 5:3

The Bible has a lot of rules and guidelines. It contains instructions for being the perfect Christian. The only problem is that we aren't perfect people. We can try all we want to follow every little detail in the Bible, but at the end of each day, we will still fall short. We can have the desire to please God, but we are merely sinful humans. We can't achieve perfection here on earth, but the good news is that God knew that. He doesn't expect us to be perfect. That's why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ. He sent Jesus to live a life on earth, showing us how we should live to honor God, and then to die on the cross, because He knew we couldn't do it. I'm not saying that we shouldn't try to follow the Bible, what I am saying is that we can't earn our way to heaven. We can't earn God's love by doing what He says, because we already have it.

Our 'job' as Christians isn't to check off a list of things that we did or didn't do each day. It is simply to love Christ with all that we are. Once we put our faith in Christ, and declare Him as Lord over our lives, we are forgiven for being sinful humans. However, if we truly love Him, we will do our best to honor Him. Not to complete some check list, but because we love Him and want to do what He says. If we truly love Christ, we won't be looking at the impossible task before us and groaning because of all the things the Bible says to do or not to do. We will look ahead with joy at the chance for serving Christ. We won't be burdened by His commands, but be filled with peace knowing that while our task is impossible our God is full of grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

Reflection:

Are you putting marks on your 'good Christian' checklist, or are you living a life full of love for Christ?

Application Step:

When you are tempted to start checking off your 'good Christian' checklist, take a step back and remember that you are covered by grace, remember that it is impossible to earn forgiveness. Then, take a moment to thank God for sending Jesus to pay for your sinfulness, and move forward with a heart set on pleasing Christ, not on completing a 'to do' list.

Prayer:

Father God, your love amazes me. Thank you for sending your Son to die for my sinfulness. Thank you for forgiving me even though I will never live up to the standard that you set. Please help me to move forward not out of obligation, but out of love for you. Help me to want to live a life pleasing to you, but also help me to remember that that is an impossible task and that I need your grace, love and forgiveness every moment of every day. In the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen.