Then God began to show me something wonderful. He showed me that all I was longing and striving for, I already had!
Watchman Nee says, "Think of the bewilderment of trying to get into a room in which you already are! Think of the absurdity of asking to be put in! If we recognize the fact that we ARE in, we make no effort to enter."
I was searching so much for God's love, wanting desperately to know that He loved me no matter what. God showed me I already had that. We all do. God has proved His love for us by Christ's dying for us while we were still sinners. That shows His love is without condition and not based on any goodness on our part, for Christ died for us when we were "no good!" If He loved us enough to do that for us then, He loves us no matter what, at all times, whatever we do, whatever we feel we've become.
I was searching for acceptance, longing more than anything in life to know God accepted me. Once again, God beautifully showed me I already had His acceptance! Christ's death on the cross was God's way of embracing the whole world and telling us all, I welcome you in. We have been accepted in the Beloved. We've been graced in Jesus, and grace carries the meaning of unconditional acceptance.
I longed so much just to know I was forgiven. Here was yet another piece of the good news God showed me - I had been forgiven ever since Jesus died on the cross. He took away the sins of the world, removed them all. The whole world stands forgiven by the cross, for God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their sins against them. I didn't have to keep confessing and trying to get forgiven, I already WAS forgiven of ALL sins by the cross!
I was always trying to "get right" with God, feeling that every time I sinned I went out of fellowship and had to confess and commit more in order to get back to rightness before Him. Yet God showed me I already had this rightness in Christ. Justification just means "being right with God, in right and acceptable relationship with God." Christ has put us in a right, acceptable relationship with God for eternity! We are right with God now and forever, never out of fellowship, never needing to feel ashamed in His presence! What a gift from Jesus!
I longed to know that God was for me, on my side. I longed to be in His favor, or good graces. Once again, God showed me this was already mine! We've been graced in Christ. We stand in His grace at all times. Grace carries the meaning of God being for us, not against us. We are in His favor at ALL times, no matter what we do or don't do. This favor is free! We don't have to deserve it or be worthy of it. And since it is undeserved like that, we can't lose it! It just doesn't depend on us at all but on God who has given us grace in Christ. God gives such good gifts!
I was always wanting to get closer to God. But He showed me the wonderful truth that I had been brought into union with Him! In the new birth we've been born again with Christ as our very Life, ours spirits in union with His! We are in Him, and He is in us - you can't get any closer than IN! We are never alone or desolate, never apart from Him at all, no matter what our feelings might try to tell us. He doesn't walk beside us, He walks in us, as us. This union is indissoluble and permanent. He will NEVER leave us or forsake us - that's forever friendship and unbreakable fellowship!
I longed so much to know that I was secure in my relationship with God, that I couldn't "mess this up" through some great sin or some great doubt. God showed me beautifully that grace means security. We don't have to keep ourselves, for He is keeping us and preserving us in Christ. We don't have to hold on to Him, for He is holding on to us. He promised He would not let us go. We just can't get away from a Love that won't let us go. Grace means no matter what, we will never fall to a place where we are lost. Grace means it's all up to God, and He is faithful to complete the work He's begun in us! He put the obedient One, Christ, in us, so we don't have to worry for Christ Himself will keep us through His righteous and eternal life! And the Spirit Himself reminds us that we're His children forever, our spirits already in heaven with Christ!
We live in the already. We live in the wonderful room of grace. We're right where God wants us, in perfect relationship with Him, loved and accepted, forgiven and favored. Jesus did a perfect work on the cross, and it was also a finished work. He finished the work to bring us into a perfect relationship with God, for that's the whole point of salvation or eternal life - knowing Him in a perfect, intimate relationship. That's where we are right now, in a PERFECT relationship with the God of the whole universe! So we've got all of eternity to enjoy our relationship with God, to celebrate His love, to revel in His acceptance! We can stop striving for those things and start relaxing and enjoying them! We've got all of eternity to enjoy HIM!
Grace to all who stop by today..
With love from
