Do you remember the days when you were in school and your class was promised the reward of a pizza party for terrific behavior? (What I wouldn’t do for a slice of NY pizza!) Maybe you were the lucky teenager whose parents said they would buy the latest video game if you earned great grades. Perhaps you were given hope for a promotion based on how you successful you are with your present project.
Do something. Earn something. It’s a great incentive to work hard, isn’t it? The only problem with that is when we apply such to our relationship with God and I’m guilty of doing it for a long time:
“I disobeyed God. There’s no way He loves me.”
“I read my Bible and pray every morning. God definitely loves me.”
Maybe you can relate to having such thoughts. But here’s the truth to dispel those: God loves us because we are His children, not based on how we perform. One of my favorite hymns, “Just As I Am” says
“Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve;”
Yesterday, Pastor Stephen Hayes reminded us about the parable of the lost son found in Luke 15:11-31. While the older son thought he was worthy of his father’s love because he obeyed, the younger son thought he was not worthy of such love for squandering his inheritance. What amazes me is how the father’s love was the same for both of his sons. It may not make sense and yet, it does because the reality is that neither son was perfect. There is only One perfect Son and our Heavenly Father loves us so much that He was willing to sacrifice His Son to save us from our sins. This amazing love is our’s if we will accept Jesus as our Savior.
Whether we struggle with feeling self-righteous as the older son did or feeling like a screw-up as the younger son did (and I’ve dealt with both), it’s our hearts that needs the fixing. 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
“Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
I couldn’t earn it
I don’t deserve it
Still You give yourself away
Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God”
(lyrics from “Reckless Love” by Bethel Music)
~Joyce
