My Works Have Nothing to Do With It

“For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, and this not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast,” (Ephesians 2:8-9).

God gives us the gift of rest in his grace. I have been wondering how to have bold faith to fight my sin and bold grace in my life. How do the two interact? The truth is that I am always able to fight sin from the standpoint of rest. I have grace to set my head down upon, to recline upon. I always know what God’s answer will be for me when I go to him for forgiveness—it will always be grace. I can fight sin boldly knowing that I already have the complete forgiveness of God for all of my past and all of my earthly future.

I have a solidity of rest in this grace because I know that my works do not sway the hand or viewpoint of God. He has set himself for me in Christ, and this disposition is not going to change. Grace is as sure as the righteousness of Christ is complete. And, that is a place where there will be no shifting in God. Grace is foundational to my every breath and step as a Christian. If we are not living from grace, we are not living from the gospel. If we do not have a bold confidence in grace, then we are misunderstanding how the gospel is meant to inform our very lives.

I am thoroughly convinced that God wants us to make grace our haven. It is surely ours; we do not have to be timid about it. We know that his grace will meet all of our needs—and that it is a gift he will not be taking back from us. Rest in grace, reader. Rest in his gift that is not of yourself. It is heavenly and glorious—there is simply nothing like it.

Dear Jesus, my Lord, I thank you for the gift of grace that did not come from me and my works. I can live confidently because I know that your grace is my foundation and my footing. I can boldly fight the sin in my life because I am rested in my being through the gift of grace that will never leave. I thank you for such a peace and such a strength. My works have nothing to do with it—and that is the blessed eternal truth. Amen.