"Acknowledge our feebleness, finding that we may not stand a twinkling of an eye but by Keeping of grace."
Julian of Norwich (Ch. 52)
If it weren't for God's grace, we would fall and not be able to stand in righteousness at all. This is not because we are evil, rebellious, always wanting to sin, or naturally sinful. It is because we are feeble, or weak. We are just humans, just "dust." Christ came to save us, the weak and feeble humans who needed rescue from sin and death. Christ called us poor, brokenhearted, captive, blind and weak, not evil or rebellious. He knew that we had been captured by sin and lies and had been blinded to the truth of God's love and His indwelling. We are weak and easily swayed by sin and lies, and we are not powerful enough to live rightly or perfectly. God doesn't expect that of us. We are under grace, not law, which means we are not being judged on our performance, and thus we can make mistakes, we can fail, and we're still with God, still accepted by God. We are not expected to live a perfect life or measure up, by our strength or trying, to some impossible standard of conduct. We are not the strong ones, God is. We are simply humble, weak earthen vessels, but we hold in our human containers the presence and glory of God Himself.
God lives in us! By His keeping of grace, Christ within us keeps us in righteousness and life at all times. So even if we fail or fall, we are still right with God, still righteous, because Christ who is in us hasn't changed, Christ is still righteous in us and for us. And He is the One who lives the Christian life in us. This is sensible, since we are not Christ, so how could we live the Christ life? Only Christ can live it, and He will live it in us. We are off the hook to produce anything or do anything. Christ is our keeper, and He will keep us in His life and His life will prevail in and through us. Our failures will not stop this. Our failures will simply remind us that this life is really not about our perfect performance but about His. The focus isn't on us at all but on Him. He has taken over our case. He is the One responsible for being perfect and righteous in us and living this Christ life through us and He cannot fail!
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised..
Luke 4:18 (NIV)
Now all glory to God, who is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.
Jude 1:24 (NLT)
A Prayer: I am weak but it doesn't matter because You are strong on my behalf!