Hebrews 11.6

“And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him”.

Hebrews 11:6

God is pleased by my faith and not by my sacrifice. My natural inclination is to unconsciously think that I have to work to earn God’s favor. This shatters my heart because when I attempt to work for my salvation instead of worship from it, I am insulting the death and resurrection of Jesus. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Because of this solid truth I can draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, because my heart is sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body is washed with pure living water. God’s love for me is unconditional in its nature. It doesn’t differ the more or less that I “do for Him”, it remains and abides over my life.  Man loves conditionally, so for us, we can’t wrap our minds around an unconditional love. That is why the writer in Ephesians prayed “that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God.”

So often I find myself hustling for my worth. When I get stuck in this pattern, I have taken my eyes off of my Father’s grace and placed them on my ability to perform. God never asked for my performance, but only my faith. The Lord is continuing to refine my heart on serving Him out of a heart that is rested in His grace, rather than a heart that is striving for His love. How wasteful to strive for something that I’ve already been given. He calls me in faith to believe and enjoy His love for all the days of my life.

We serve a God that is unseen and we will be rewarded in a kingdom that is yet to be seen. Will I believe in faith that every mundane task can be done in faith, in such a way to build God’s kingdom? Will I believe that His love for me is perfect and complete and no amount of sacrifice or service can unleash it? Will I draw near to Him every day in faith, knowing that He is pleased in my faith in His Son, not my faith in my works? If I choose to live for the seen, I will miss out on a lifetime of spiritual blessing that is found in a life of faith. But if I live in faith for the unseen, living as a stranger and exile on this earth with my eyes seeking the Homeland, God will indeed give me a beautiful inheritance.

Application: His love for me is perfect, complete and unchanging. It doesn’t differ in how much I serve Him or sacrifice for Him. He is pleased my perfect and pure faith in Jesus. Today I will share my struggle to believe this truth with Sonesta and pray with her “that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with the fullness of God.”