Grace Walk Ch. 1: Miserable Mediocrity

Living the Christian life, living in Christ, is not about mastering or overcoming certain sins. Living victorious is not by means of trying harder or being more disciplined. These practices will leave one unsatisfied, empty, and defeated.

The majority of Christians would agree that we do not have to do anything to receive Christ’s perfect righteousness at the time of salvation. However, many Christians “seem to believe that the rules change after they are saved…that keeping certain rules will help them grow in the Christian life.” (p. 19). It’s as if we need to improve our spiritual performance and daily continue to climb the ladder of Christian success.

This so often leads Christians into a pit of failure. We feel defeated, tired, guilty, confused, and unsatisfied. If we struggle with or give in to sin or just don’t seem to have it together, God will act and think toward us with anger, frustration and maybe not as much love. However, if we read our Bible for thirty minutes in the morning, pray for twenty minutes, say nice things to our kids, and act politely to strangers, God will be pleased and hopefully love us that day.

This kind of thinking leaves us walking on a thin tightrope of to-do’s and fear of not pleasing the Father. We think in terms of either victory or failure when that is totally not even the point. We get so focused on the doing that we forget about what is already done. Is this true freedom? Is this what being in Christ is all about? Steve says, “…Victory is not a reward but a gift.” (p. 16).  Do we really believe that? We already have victory in Christ; we do not need to struggle to earn it. We already are victorious, and it is by nothing that we have done, are doing, or can do; it is a gift.

Steve also says “Even when I had done nothing wrong, I would feel guilty for not doing all the things that I believed I should be doing.” (p. 17) That is a picture of me. My whole life consisted of an unending circle of living rightly but knowing I could still be doing more for God. This, in turn, would leave me feeling guilty and like a failure. In turn, I would spend time in the Word, praying, asking forgiveness, and convincing myself that I felt better because I should if I did all those things. I figured, I shouldn’t spend too much time having a pity party because it took time away from trying to get back on me feet and working at being a good Christian.

My same thoughts are expressed on page 17, “Yet no matter how hard I tried, I never experienced real peace about my Christian life.” I always had an uneasiness that constantly gripped me and kept me from experiencing true freedom and joy in Christ. The truth was, instead of experiencing joy in Christ, I was trying to find fulfillment through my Christian lifestyle (p. 19). It wasn’t really even about Christ at all. It was about me.

My entire focus was wrong. I was depending on myself for a full life, for joy, for peace. I didn’t even realize it though. I was deceived thinking that if I try my best at doing what the Bible says, and if I muster up love for the people in my life, then God is pleased, and this is what the Christian life must be about. I thought that simply trying my best and doing it “with all my heart”, God would be pleased and everything would be good.

I am reminded of the very familiar verse, “Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please Him. “ (2 Cor. 5:9). I used to believe that it meant wherever we are, whatever we’re doing, our main focus, our main goal is to do what God says and to follow His commands, and then we will make Him happy. I thought to please the Lord was to perform a list of biblical duties for Him.

However, by God’s grace, He has shown me that He is already pleased with me because when He looks at me, He sees Christ’s perfect righteousness. He sees a life of perfection and blamelessness. He doesn’t look at me and see sin. He doesn’t look at me with condemnation (Rom. 8:1).  There is so much freedom and power by simply believing in what Christ has done. 1 John 3:23 says, “And this is His commandment: We must believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us.”

So now my struggle is not a struggle of work and toil but a struggle of resting (Heb. 4:9-11) and living in Christ (Gal. 2:20-21). It is one of swimming in the pool of grace and offering up a thousand words of thanks to the Father. It is a life loving others because Christ first loved me (1 John 4:19). It is a glorious struggle and one that He so powerfully works in me and through me (Phil. 2:13).

Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your soul. For my yoke is easy to bear, and my burden I give you is light.” Isn’t that a beautiful picture of resting in Christ and His perfect life and finished work on the cross?

Dear friends, when I try to live this life by my strength and my power, and when I fail and grow weary and sin, I no longer offer up a prayer and try harder the next time. Steve simply says, “Trying harder will defeat you every time.” (p. 16). When I find myself weak, frustrated and weary, I turn to the Lord and rest. I find strength in Him and His Word, His promises. 2 Timothy 2: 1 says, “My child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Corinthians 12:9 says, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.” Jesus came to give us life to the full (John 10:10), and we find that freedom, that fullness of life when we live by grace in Christ Jesus.