I am so very grateful for police officers. They lay their lives on the line every day to protect our families and communities. Their job is noble as they rise to prevent and detect crime. But while they labor daily in law enforcement, God does not. Beloved, God is not a behavior police.
Every day, I screw up; I miss the mark. In the midst of living in intimacy with the One who loves me and gave Himself up for me, I still get angry, anxious, annoyed, overwhelmed and worst of all, I still allow myself to feel guilty. I even forget to forgive myself. Yes, there are many days when I feel like I’m a bundle of paradoxes. Yet, it’s there I find myself face to face with Grace Himself.
This is why I can tell you with certainty, God is not analyzing your every mood, feeling and action. He is not critiquing your every thought. He is not a serious, stern lawgiver on the move waiting to catch you doing it wrong or not doing it enough…whatever “it” might be. He is not distant and far-off waiting for you to “arrive” at some spiritual level all awhile judging you at your failed attempts to conjure up some super faith.
No, my friend, God is not policing your life. He is fathering it, loving it, caring for it, nurturing it and delighting in it. He is the Daddy who for billions of years thought of you, dreaming about the moment when He would knit your life together in the womb; so fearfully and wonderfully made. He is the Papa who sent His Son to save you before the foundation of the earth was laid because He couldn’t bear to be without you.
He is the lover of your soul, your best friend; the One who longs for intimacy with you as you lay your weaknesses and brokenness before Him with vulnerability to be met with unconditional love and compassion. He is your Knight in shining armor who rushes in to rescue you from you and the religious beliefs that keep you hiding in shame every time you forget you’ve been made new by His works alone!
I’m not suggesting that behavior doesn’t matter. I’m simply revealing the truth that it does not justify you before your Father. At the heart of the gospel (Um, which is Greek for GOOD News, ya know) is the revelation of Jesus’ righteousness (your right standing and perfect acceptance before God) given to you, to me, to us! It’s a gift and can’t be earned. And it’s freely received by faith (simply trusting in what Jesus has done on your behalf!). Before your Father, you are “as Jesus is in this world!” (1 John 4:17b). When you believe this truth, your behavior will follow effortlessly.
Unfortunately, we live in a world that is completely opposite and performance based; where everyone is trying to live like the Jones’ in a competitive rat-race utterly exhausted from trying to do more and keep up to feel accepted. It’s a world where we all seem to be policing each other’s behavior and worst of all our own still relying on the self-righteousness that causes us to feel justified by our actions.
For example, when we do good, we feel God is pleased with us making us feel entitled. But when we don’t do so well, He is pointing the finger in judgement. This distorted image of God has kept so many well-meaning Christians and even non-believers away from the heart of the One who longs to just be with them and lavish His love on them.
Even our children are suffering from the fear-based “do good, get good – do bad, get bad” syndrome. Many of them already feeling like they’re not good enough at home and especially in school because of the increase of academic and behavioral expectations thus resulting in a warped identity based on what they do instead of who they are. Our value and identity come from God’s love and who He already made us to be in Him!
Sadly, we take the lies we believe about ourselves and project them onto God causing us to believe He feels that way about us. This has been so ever since the enemy brought deception in the garden of Eden causing Adam and Eve to doubt the heart of their Father resulting in a false image of God.
However, in another garden, Jesus’ perfect obedience began redeeming us, His children, so we could live free from the lie of having to do “for” God and instead actually live “in” Him and “out” of His radical love, enjoying relationship with Him. Thankfully, Jesus invites us to cease striving, come to Him and rest.
After all, we are human beings, not human doings. God made us for relationship. We are His children, not His servant-slaves. It has never ever been about what His people can do for Him, but what He has done for us! He took our wrong identity and gave us His! (see Romans 3:20-25).
So, no matter what’s gone down beloved, He could never be disappointed in you. He is madly in love with you; smiling and singing over you. When you fail and falter, He still sees you spotless in His sinless robe of righteousness. And when the accuser points you to you and your shortcomings, STOP…in the name of love! And let Jesus point you back to Him, His finished work and His perfect love for you.
Oh yes, God is definitely in hot pursuit of you. But He’s not in pursuit of your performance, He’s in pursuit of your heart to arrest it in His unconditional love and make you a prisoner of His scandalous grace and endless hope.
Resting In His Love,
Annalee Reyes