Charisa Stories

Tag: finished work

  • Is Performing the Best Path to Spiritual Growth?

    I learned growing up in a legalistic church that my eternal destiny was determined to a large extent by my performance. I had to be good. I had to do my part. The performance message was reinforced all around me in church and in life.

    If you eat your vegetables you can have dessert.
    If you are good you get toys at Christmas.
    If you get all A’s you will get a monetary reward.
    If you behave your parents will be proud of you.

    So I learned to perform to get rewards and affirmation. Performance addiction is easy in legalism because you always have someone willing (and extremely happy) to challenge how well you are doing and where you can improve. So I performed. I tried hard. Then harder. Like most performance addicts I got tired and sad and desperate. I was on the verge of accepting that this journey with Jesus is a lot of begrudging compliance. The supposed joy that I was promised was hard to find. Then something hit my heart and mind.

    Grace.

    I heard a message that I had probably heard before but my heart was prepared this time for the seed of freedom to flourish.

    Grace.

    I finally realized there is nothing I can personally do to improve my eternal odds. The work of Jesus on the Cross is finished. I am forgiven. The Biblical texts on forgiveness are past tense.

    Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:32, NLT

    You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for He forgave all our sins. Colossians 2:13

    I am writing to you who are God’s children because your sins have been forgiven through Jesus. 1 John 2:12

    Jesus died for past, present and future sins. I used to agonize over unconfessed sin. What if I forgot something? What if I was unaware of some sin? What if I died with unresolved sin? I made it so hard when all along the eternally patient voice of Jesus was saying relax.
    “It is finished.”
    “My work on the Cross is complete and forever.”
    “You are forgiven once and for all.”

    I contribute nothing to that except my need for a Savior because of my sin.

    The uniqueness of grace for a follower of Christ is that God already knows everything about me (and you) and He loves us exactly the same on our best or worst day. Don’t rush past that truth for Christians.

    Read it again.

    God knows everything about you, and He loves you exactly the same on your best or worst day.

    I don’t have to fight a battle that has already been won. I can relax in the finished work of Christ.

    The answer to performance addiction can be found in two simple words.

    Jesus. Grace.

    Two more words come to mind every time I think of that gift.

    Praise God!

    When I realize all that I was given when I trusted Jesus as my Savior my entire attitude about serving Him changed. Remember that begrudging obligation I mentioned earlier? Now I serve Jesus out of profound gratitude. God will accomplish His plan on this earth whether I am willing or unwilling to serve Him. But what a joy it is to acknowledge the love and grace of God by willingly seeking to be a part of His plan. That approach to glorify God because of what Jesus did for you completely changes your motivation in the most wonderful way. I don’t have to work my way into His favor like I used to believe. I am already there because of Jesus.

    God loves me. I am His child forever. He sent His Son to save me. He gifted me with the Holy Spirit to guide and comfort me. I am actually righteous in the Father’s eyes because of Jesus. Are you telling me those truths don’t change your motivation to want to perform for Jesus? That recognition changed my world completely. Now I want to perform for Him out of love for the eternal hope I now possess.

  • Satan’s Defensive Game Plan Against Grace

    Satan’s Defensive Game Plan Against Grace

    If you read more than a snippet of my writings you know that I am a grace guy. But there is a question that confounds me.

    “If grace based theology as the way to live out the Christian life is true then why is it not more popular in the church?”

    That is a great question. I have been swept away by grace. Everything in my life has been changed by taking away my performance based faith and believing in Christ’s performance for me.

    During a preseason football telecast I thought about a parallel between one of my least favorite football strategies and this grace conundrum. Perhaps it was an insight from the Holy Spirit. Perhaps it was simply because my brain is not wired to factory specs. But this idea popped in my mind. A lot of football teams play a defense that is called the prevent defense. That style of defense is designed to allow the opponent short yardage gains as the defense tries to prevent big plays and long touchdowns. The theory is that if you can force the other team to settle for short gains they will eventually make a mistake, get called for a penalty, or simply fail to get the yardage needed.

    I thought about the opponent we line up against as followers of Christ. It occurred to me that Satan played a kind of “prevent” defense in my spiritual journey for many years. It was almost like the Enemy was willing to give up short gains of spiritual growth and ministry as long as I focused on my own efforts to keep grinding out those gains. Satan, like a good defensive coordinator, believed that I would make a mistake and then he could pounce on my miscue and cause a costly turnover. My failure would cause me to doubt myself, my commitment and my worth. When I made a mistake Satan’s play by play announcer would broadcast loudly in my head.

    “You have failed again. Jesus must be really disappointed with this effort but He certainly is not surprised. Dave has been a disappointing member of the team since he joined.”

    After another failure I would get tentative and fearful. The announcer always chimed in.

    “Certainly no reason to expect victory from Dave this time. He has failed over and over in this very situation. To be honest, I am not sure why Jesus even keeps him on the roster. Expect him to be cut soon.”

    The goal line of joy and freedom and peace seemed more and more difficult to reach. Finally I was happy just to make a short gain now and then. I seldom sustained a lengthy drive of positive spiritual gains.

    But then I discovered a new offense. A game plan that Satan can’t defend. When I lined up with grace there was no way for the Enemy to keep me from the goal of freedom and joy. Instead of grinding out each painful yard with begrudging self-effort I simply followed the lead block of the Spirit and ran with confidence. If a play failed I knew the Coach still had complete confidence in me for the next one. I remembered my team identity and the power that was promised from that association. I believed that I would be victorious not because of my skill but because of Christ.

    Maybe the analogy is a stretch. Maybe not. Since I detest the prevent defense in football it seems logical it came from Satan. I do think there is something to consider in the idea that Satan “gives” us little gains and tries really hard to stop the big ones. I believe that grace scares the Enemy more that anything we do because grace relies on surrender and trust. My self-effort against the ruler of this world is a long shot. My surrendered life to Jesus is a sure victory. Jesus has fought this battle and won. Why we would we not depend on His game plan to reach the goal? I will meditate on these words from Hebrews this week and celebrate a victory that is already in the win column.

    So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.  (Hebrews 4, NLT)

    Ready for some football mixed in with game changing faith? The story of football Coach W.T. Johnston will inspire you to live fully in each moment. Click here for more info.