Process vs Purchase

By: Fred Reid

Short Version: There is a process we must all go through to become what God has created us to be in the kingdom but we must be careful that we are not trying purchase this purpose through works.

Basically this one is about self-righteousness vs the will of the Almighty. That sounds really heavy and obviously bad right? But there are a lot of people who flirt with this problem way more than you’d think! As usual I can tell ya’ll about myself cuz I know me quite well, I often find myself WORKING trying to earn or be worthy of the things of God. I punish myself when I do things wrong or I try to go the extra mile doing something else so I can feel worthy of the gifts and blessings the Lord has given me. As it turns out this is really quite backwards and a insult to the sacrifice Jesus has made for me. But let’s get biblical!

John 19:30 and Rev. 21:6

Both of these scriptures deal with the phrase “it is finished”. The first is Jesus saying it right before He died. This was to signify that His life was over and He was in the proper place to be the sacrifice for the world’s sins. He needed to die so that He could be resurrected and go from operating as a sacrifice to being a savior. It’s important to remember a dead Jesus differs nothing from someone like Moses; but in His resurrection is the power and salvation. But let’s not get distracted, in Rev. 21:6 God tells John that it is finished and that He is Alpha and Omega and all who have overcome will be his sons and live in with Him while sinners while take part of the lake and the second death (ouch smh). I point these scripture out to prove that Jesus has done His work and the Father has cosigned that it is finished! Think of scripture limited to “it” because generational curses, fleshy desires, debts, depression, all manner of evil, etc, would have made the bible longer than it already is and people already struggle to read it lol But seriously ALL these things are included in the “it”! What is there left for you to try to do? Walk in the victory Jesus has provided. Think of it as Jesus defeated sin, hell, and the grave…and then left instructions on how you can do it. Why create a whole new strategy when the one proven to work is provided for you?

Gal 5:4

“Christ is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the law YE ARE FALLEN FROM GRACE”

HEAVY!! I’ll try to make it quick. The letter KILLETH but the SPIRIT giveth LIFE! To judge yourself or others by the law is to kill yourself and others! Complete opposite of Jesus. He came to give life! Not to say we don’t have to follow God’s commandments (see previous devotional lol) but rather emphasize the significance of grace! It is grace that restores! It is a combination of love and grace that brings about change! If you get to the point that you feel like you are such a good saint that you live by the law perfectly you are trying to live above grace…and thus it won’t help you! My example is I research fasting at one point and found out that in the old testament some people fasted after they sinned to clean themselves off. I liked that idea so that’s what I started to do. The first time it went great and I felt good completing the fast and was back on track. The next time I didn’t feel as great so I fasted longer and the feeling never changed. Then it dawned on me I was trying to EARN my forgiveness; basically saying Jesus your innocence in death wasn’t enough for me I need to fast to really be forgiven. Yikes! Fasting is definitely necessary for righteous living and can be used to arrest the flesh if you feel yourself getting out of control; but it’s not a substitute for repentance. Which is an apology and CHANGE in behavior.

This is way too long so I’ll go over the process in the next jawn lol last thought I want to leave ya’ll with is that we are a people that walk by faith and not by sight! We take action based on who God is and what WE KNOW of Him, not what we see or how we feel! You may not feel worthy but God says you are! If that’s hard to understand or believe than you lack knowledge of the Father and need to find out how often the things that He says are right. (Hint hint:all the time)

Over and Out J