Stepping Stones: Accomplishments and Failures…or Jesus?

Transformational Thought

We all have done things we wish we could take back. Maybe we've lived a sinful lifestyle, been selfish and unkind, made some parenting mistakes, said hurtful things to a loved one, or just experienced a lot of failure in life. Maybe we still struggle with relationships, anxieties, guilt, shame, and “what ifs”.

But on the other hand, maybe we've lived a pretty good life and achieved a high level of success. We really like being defined by that. We like feeling good about what we've done. We are energized by the praise and admiration of others.

But you know what? Our accomplishments aren't really that impressive to God. He sees our hearts. He knows that they are not always pure. Praise God that he doesn't define us by what we've done … regardless of how good or bad it’s been. He judges us by whether we accept what Christ did for us. He knows that we need Jesus. We need to know that too.

He died on the cross so that the penalty could be paid and our sins could be forgiven. And when we believe and accept the sacrifice he made for us, we are cleansed. Then God sees us as though we have never sinned! And that's our new identity ... a follower of Christ, clothed in His righteousness.

You see, we know we have made mistakes, but since we’ve done a bunch of good things, and we can do more, we underestimate the big gap between us and HOLY. We can never, no matter how hard and long we try, and I mean never, make up the gap between ourselves and God.

We can't do enough to earn our way … that's why we need Jesus. We are defined not by our accomplishments or failures, but by who we are in Christ. All the accomplishments in the world don't mean a thing when it comes to getting right with God and spending eternity with Him.

Today, if you are not a fully committed follower of Christ, you can make that decision right now. No matter what your past ... no matter how good or bad your behavior ... you need Jesus. He loves you and is reaching out to you right now. Do you want to meet Him? Just tell Him that you know you need Him ... and that you want to follow Him. Why wouldn’t you want Jesus in your life? He is ready ... are you?

If you are a Christian, rejoice like you did the day you accepted Jesus in your life as your personal Savior. Send this to someone you love who needs Jesus, and follow it with a phone call to discuss sending this blessing.

Prayer
My Father and my Lord, I believe that your Son died for my sins. Please forgive me for all my past. I'm ready for a change. I want to follow You ... and do life Your way. I pray this and all prayers in the name of the one who died so that I may have eternity with the only God, Jesus Christ; and all God’s children say - AMEN!

The Truth
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Romans 3:23-24