Romans 6:23 | The Gift of God
More and more, I find that the greatest opponent to a life of abiding in God’s presence is striving. Striving puts us in control of our spiritual growth and crowds out grace. The outcome of striving is almost always burnout that follows self-defeat from being unable to follow through with the standards we set for ourselves.
Even when we find an energetic start to the race, the path becomes steeper and steeper until we can no longer stay the course. Some can push further up that hill because they are more stubborn than others, but eventually, all will realize that no amount of human strength, planning, or focus can bring about the holiness that God desires.
The enemy loves when we get caught in striving traps. It’s a cycle of starting strong, losing energy, confronting failure, hitting rock bottom, and trying again. It feels self-righteous and exciting to start strong on a new season of personal spiritual growth, but falling short feels devastating—we have no one but ourselves to blame. There is no real growth in this cycle. Some will stay in it longer than others, but many will lose faith altogether. It’s hard to see the value of a failing system.
God never intended for us to live this way. Even in the old covenant, totally dependent on the sacrifice of animals and the strict adherence to the rule of law, God didn’t expect the people to be perfect. The old law and sacrifices pointed to God's grace and redemptive power. They declared that forgiveness, freedom, and blessing would not have been possible apart from God's provision.
Still, we have the condition of human sin. It separates us from God. Romans 6:23 NIV says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Sin and falling short will ultimately lead to death. That’s the return on sin’s investment; without God, we are only capable of sin. I’m so thankful for the grace of God! We are invited into eternal life because Jesus broke the power of sin and death on the cross.
God’s salvation is a gift. No amount of striving will get you a place closer to the front of the line. No amount of failure will push you to the back of the line. There is no line! It is just Christ extending his grace to each one of us. We can receive it with joy or turn away and keep trying in our own strength.
I admit that undoing the pattern of striving is more challenging than we may think. It seems simple enough to receive God’s grace, but we all struggle in our own way to believe that we are worthy of such outstanding generosity. That is why I think asking is the best way to learn God’s grace. Give God a chance to reveal his goodness to you today. It looks like praying a prayer of humility. Confess that you can’t do this on your own and that maybe you don’t even feel worthy of God’s grace, but you’re willing to try to receive.
Ask God to help you understand the gift of grace.
Abiding happens daily in his presence. Abiding Daily is a simple and practical reminder to stay connected to the vine. Each prompt is inspired from the scriptures and designed to point you toward prayer and encounter. You can follow us on Facebook and Instagram. To get the Daily Invitation sent to you every day click this link or text “Daily” to +1 (779) 237-3914.
