Experiencing God's Presence #160

Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand.

Romans 5:2

As much as we may talk of God’s grace, few of us are thoroughly rooted in it. We’re strong on the theology of grace and weak on its application—especially toward ourselves. In fact, most Christians relate to God in some level of “performance mode” almost constantly. We base our relationship on doing the right things. The result is the wrong kind of relationship.

God obviously has standards for our behavior, but His love and desire for us don’t depend on them. Like the father of the Prodigal Son, He looks longingly toward His children even when they are squandering their privileged position—not because He’s desperate but because that’s what relentless love does. He designed behavior always to be a result of relationship, not vice versa. The relationship is primary.

Maybe you’re one of the many who live in constant insecurity. You think you haven’t done quite enough or done it right. But a sense of insufficiency in a relationship undermines its closeness. It’s hard to feel affectionate toward someone you’ve let down. That attitude almost always alienates—the exact opposite of God’s intentions for you. Remember that every moment of your life was laid out before you’d lived a single day (Psalm 139:16), so God knew about all your shortcomings ahead of time. And He still chose to make you and be with you.

God has based our relationship with Him on grace—a place of highest privilege—for a reason. The performance trap keeps us running on a spiritual treadmill. We’re always striving and never arriving—and certainly never enjoying God. Determine to relate to Him on the basis of His extravagant love and nothing else. That’s the only way to encounter Him as He truly is.

Father, I accept Your grace fully. I choose to believe that my behavior has nothing to do with Your love for me. Help me always relate to You from the privileged position You have freely given.

From the book