Episode #360 Am I Doing Enough for God? – Real Peace, Secure Faith

Hey, friend. Welcome to this stolen moment. I've been thinking about that in preparation for recording this episode today and how so many times with the Lord, we wish we had more time. We sneak in these moments of drawing near to him, of growing in our awareness of who God is and how he's active in our lives with us. And that's my heart posture as we come into this time together today. And I encourage you to adopt that for yourself. You have prioritized drawing near to God in this moment. Even with everything else you have going on, even if you're listening to this while you're driving or making dinner or folding laundry or working on something at work. This is a special moment, a sacred moment, a stolen few minutes where we get to be intentional as we draw near to God, even in the busyness of our daily lives.

And so I'm excited to get to spend these few minutes with you. And the topic I've been thinking about today is a question that I have struggled with and still can struggle with sometimes. And I'm learning that I'm not alone in this. And it's this underlying stress and worry around the question of, am I doing enough for God? Am I doing enough? Am I walking in what he wants me to do? Am I on mission? Am I investing my time, my energy, my talent, where he would have me? And sometimes this question can put burdens on us that are far less than what God would have for us.

And so the way I'm approaching this question today is through the lens of the finished work of the cross. Because yes, there are things that we get to do with God in his work in the world. Yes, we get to walk in step with him and be purified and transformed more into the likeness of Jesus. But we to participate in that because of the work that Jesus already finished.

John 19:30 says, “When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘it is finished’. And he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.”

As I sit with us in the context of this conversation today, I'm reminded that finished doesn't mean mostly done. It means complete.

And I can reflect on different seasons of my life where I knew this about salvation, right? I knew this was the completed work of rescue to redeem us, to pay the price we couldn't pay for our sins. But I still felt like there was a lot of other things that were left unfinished that were up to me to accomplish for the Lord.

But the good news for us is that we don't improve upon what Jesus already completed.

God doesn't need our performance to make things stick in our faith. We don't have to do enough for him to allow the finished work to do its job in us. The work is already complete.

It's not pending our good behavior.

It's not pending our action steps.

What Jesus has finished allows us to rest in him.

And it gives us a reframe for that struggle of if I am doing enough for God, what am I basing that question on? If I feel stressed or worried about if I'm achieving enough for him, or if I'm performing enough for him, what is truly driving it?

If that wrestle is familiar to you, I encourage you to sit with that, not by yourself, but with the Lord. Are there ways that I am pushing myself or I am motivated or driven by something instead of resting in what Jesus already finished? When I think about this and the loads that I can put on my own back and striving and wanting to do enough for God, there is great relief that comes when I am able to look at even that area of growth, even that thing that I need to learn and improve on, and realize that is far less than the totality of what Jesus has already accomplished in me.

Yes, I still can feed my sin nature. I can be impatient. I can be unkind. I can be self-seeking. And I get to partner with God in his good work in me. But the reason that I get to do that is because the work is already finished. Because Jesus already paid the price that I couldn't pay. And so I'm not working for something, I'm working from something. I'm receiving again and again the forgiveness that God offers me. I'm receiving again and again the finished work on the cross that says, Jesus, your work is already completed, help me live from that. Help purify from me the things that would distract me or take me away from that.

And so I invite you today in these few sacred minutes, take this conversation over to the Lord. Trust that there is freedom he wants to offer you.

And here's a question that you can take to him:

God, what does resting in your finished work look like for me today?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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