Freedom — For Good Works – Tuesday
TODAY’S VERSE
Galatians 3:10-11
For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.” Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for “The righteous shall live by faith.” (ESV)
When I was little, I spent a lot of time at daycare. It became a second home for me, but that also meant I got to see a lot of my peers get in trouble: for lying, hitting another kid, talking back… the list goes on and on. I remember one kid who would go to time-out for just a second, then “let himself out” because he decided he was good. He thought he had the power to absolve himself of the consequences for his actions. But everytime he did this, he would just have to spend more time in time-out. Back then, I thought it was funny. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve seen how humans try to justify themselves. Self-justification breaks my heart because it essentially looks at the cross and decides that Jesus’s sacrifice didn’t matter.
Just like that little boy, we’ve all tried to save ourselves from the times we’ve fallen short. The irony is that we see the ways we try to save ourselves don’t actually work. But God… has already done the work (Romans 5:8). God sent His one and only Son to take on the curse of sin and death. Jesus received our curse so that we could receive the blessing of Abraham. In other words, Jesus received what He didn’t deserve so that we could receive what we don’t deserve (2 Corinthians 5:21).
The blessing of Abraham means that anyone who chooses to live with faith in Christ will be justified and made righteous before God. Don’t miss this: God has declared us guiltless of our sins. This is a one-and-done kind of deal! And here’s the freedom we get to experience as a result: we don’t continue to work for our guiltless status because Jesus has already claimed it for us.
Now we live by faith, trusting that the God who saves is the same God who deeply loves and cares for us, too. No matter what our past has looked like, we can look into Jesus’ face and walk toward Him without guilt because that’s how He sees us! Jesus sees the new us, and He personally paid the price for our sins, so that we can live this new life for Him.
APPLICATION
Take some time to read through Genesis 12. Make a few notes on anything that resonates with you regarding Abram’s faith and the covenant God made with him.
PRAYER
Ask the Lord to reveal to you the ways your heart still strives to work for your justification. Ask Him to remind you throughout this week that you no longer have to strive in His presence.