AUGUST 2, 2016

“My deepest awareness of myself is that I am deeply loved by Jesus Christ and I have done nothing to earn it or deserve it.” 
― Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel

PSALM 68-69

David's realizes that comfort is not found in others...

19You know how I am scorned, disgraced and shamed;

all my enemies are before you.

20Scorn has broken my heart

and has left me helpless;

I looked for sympathy, but there was none,

for comforters, but I found none.(69:19)

ROMANS 3

Paul declares that the law and obedience to the law can never provide redemption...

19Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20Therefore no one will be declared righteous in God’s sight by the works of the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of our sin.

JOURNAL 

Pure obedience for obedience sake...is pointless. It will never provide redemption from sin. We sin because we aspire to be holy without God. Continued dedication to outward actions and rectifying behavior will never cause redemption because that indicates that someone is just simply trying to be a good God rather than an evil one. It is a matter of surrendering everything to God...hopes, dreams, desires...everything. It is for the purpose of being what we were created to be...humans that serve and obey God...humans that are in intimate relationship with the creator. Humans who serve and love simply because that is what we were created to do.

This is the life that Christ lived and the death he suffered. Fully and wholly obedient to God in service and love. He gave us the way home...he wiped away all sin. He declared us holy if we will accept and surrender to God's love. 

 8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - EPHESIANS 8:8-10