The actions of a Christian life can become a substitute for grace. They could become the grounds on which we come to rely on as the reason why God’s blessing falls upon us.
But that does not mean those actions are wrong, rather that they are wrongly pursued.
Particularly if we live as if our acts are an end in themselves.
Rightly pursued the acts of Christian discipleship point us to Jesus, who we follow.
When we follow Jesus he becomes our focus.
And when our focus is on him we can’t help but become more and more aware of that which he has done on our behalf.
To follow Jesus is to be confronted again and again with the immensity of God’s grace toward us.
From Esau McCaulley’s book Lent – The Season Of Repentance And Renewal.
Jesus has done too much for us to believe we can ever earn God’s favour. The abundant grace of God is the Christian’s great comfort. Spiritual practices of fasting, prayer, Bible reading, special devotions, and works of justice do not lessen the work of Christ. Instead, these practices open up space to encounter the grace of God.
Esau McCaulley, Lent – The Season Of Repentance And Renewal, InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, IL. 2022, pgs. 48.
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