We're not worth it.

Its a common misconception, a phrase I hear quite often...

"Christ died on the cross for you, you're worth it!"

This phrase is usually used when a believer is trying to encourage another, but it is simply not the truth and not the gospel. 

What makes grace so unbelievably beautiful and yet confusing is the fact that we weren't worth it.

Romans 5:8 says "but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

 That scripture blatantly points out our unworthiness and insignificance. We need to focus on the part that says "that while we were sinners" and try to understand what all that entails. When I read this verse, I do not see any kind of worth in the position of "sinner," because it's not there. There is no worthiness in any of us.

When Christ saved me, I was selfish, unrighteous, continually pursuing evil, without recognition of  my  actions I was simply doing what felt natural, running from God.  There was absolutely nothing inside of me that made me worthy of Gods love, yet He saved me. Not because of my position, but because of His grace. 

You see, its not because were worth it. It's because God is so indescribably loving, good and righteous that He saves us. It does not matter how many "good" things we think we may do in our lives, the bible says our "good deeds" are like filthy rags. (Isaiah 64:6) We're not good people and we're not worth it. But when God performs the miraculous gift of rescue and grace, we become worthy in Christ. God then looks upon His children as righteous, holy and beloved. We are at right standing with God and no longer enemies because we were not worth it, yet Christ chose to die.

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


But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved. - Ephesians 2:4-5


In these scriptures I do not once see anything about our doing and our worthiness. Its all about what God has done, because He is rich in mercy and love. That's the gospel.

Restlessness

I am restless. I continually search for things, and I am so unaware of this disquitude inside, that it doesn't seem obvious, until I start to examine my heart.

It is indeed a fact that the human heart is prone to search for things that we think may satisfy our idol making hearts. Things much smaller than Jesus.
It is natural for a human that is bent from birth to seek for satisfaction in things other than God himself.
Even after God saves us, we still tend to turn towards idols for completion and rest.

What we need engraved on our hearts is that Christ has already secured everything we will ever need. And every single thing that we feel like we may be missing. When Christ saves us, we are set free and we are His. There is nothing better than the fact that we are his children, his bride, his beloved.

Any emptiness, holes or void that we try to fill is not because Jesus did not completely give us everything we need In Him, it is only because we are seeking things other than Him.

"Typically, it's not that Christians seek to blatantly replace the gospel. What we try to do is simply add to it." - Tullian Tchividjian

Smart man, that Tullian. So what are you trying to find rest in? What are you trying to add to Jesus to find satisfaction? Let's examine our hearts, pray that the Lord will shed light on these idols, then repent and live fully satisfied and in awe of our God.

"Whatever your heart clings to and confides in, that is really your God." - Martin Luther