I am not good enough. I will never be good enough. I could never be a Christian because I can not get my act together to qualify. If you ever find yourself thinking these thoughts, you are right about all except the last one. You, NOR I will never be adequate, but Jesus was enough on our behalf. Being good enough is not and never was up to us. WE are perfectly acceptable and accepted as we are because He was and is sufficient, and He completed us by imparting His righteousness to us as a gift that we receive by believing. We are justified by faith, not feats. I hope you rest easy tonight knowing you are enough, friend! You are loved!
Tag: righteousness
Morning is Breaking
Morning is breaking the day open full and rich with possibilities. Lord, I pray that I may think more about You today and less about myself. May the concern of my heart be to please You and not people. Fill my heart with a desire for righteousness not being right. Thank you for loving me when I am unlovely. I fail you every day, but You still call me your choice pearl. Thank you for your mercy and grace. Amen.
His Beloved
To believe we are anything less than His beloved is to deny the work Jesus finished on the cross. I do not want to do that, but I do everyday when I feel or say I am not enough. Jesus is enough in our place. He is our worthiness. He is our righteousness. He is our adequacy. Our work is to believe and live in the freedom of His gift. That is hard work, but entirely possible when we are spiritually healthy! Counter every negative thought today with, I am His beloved. You are loved, friend.
Our Perfect Resume Has Been Completed
When we understand we are not creating a perfect resume to be loved and accepted, but already are loved and accepted because a perfect record was given to us by Jesus; then we are free to say come, sit, listen and see my soul, not my charades
Freely Inadequate but Fully Accepted
Are you feeling inadequate this morning? Me, too. As a matter of fact, I have been feeling incompetent for some time now due to a variety of life challenges. Then last Thursday happened.
I was attending a dinner, and the speaker was talking about a very dark subject. She was telling her story, and it was very far from pretty. One thing the brave woman said with a trembling voice has captivated my thoughts since that night. I am paraphrasing her words; I never thought Jesus could love and forgive a sinner as dirty as me. Then one day I realized that my attitude about His forgiveness was equivalent to me putting Jesus back on the cross because He did not do His job right the first time and I could not do that.
Wow! I have been thinking a lot about how many times I am crucifying Jesus again because I too am not feeling “good enough.” The truth I often forget is that I am not good enough, never was, never will be and that is why Christ had to pay the ultimate price for me.
Jesus died for my inadequacies, and yours. Being ashamed of them is a dishonor to Him. He willingly gave his life to give me mine. He suffered a cruel, undeserved death to complete me in all the areas I am incomplete. Because He is whole, I am free to be broken. Because he is perfect, I am free to be imperfect. That is good news for a ragamuffin like me.
There is no need to twinge in light of my truth and no reason to cower to condemnation. I am righteous because Jesus has risen. Isaiah 61:10 says it best; I am overwhelmed with joy in the LORD my God! For he has dressed me in the clothing of salvation and draped me in a robe of righteousness.
I am prone, however, to forget what I know to be true. I knew His promise, but I had forgotten. I had forgotten, and thus, I had forsaken the Gospel. Life has a tendency to court us away from the truth, but God has a tender character that carries us back under the shelter of His wings where we are allowed to be freely inadequate but fully accepted. I am preaching this to myself today, friends. I pray if need be you can find rest here, too.
The One That Bled For Us
The scarred hands that fold for us in prayer are the hands that bled so we may be comforted in times when life is unfair.
The nail pierced feet that walk with us in triumph and carry us in tribulation are the feet that bleed to free us sinners from every nation.
The head that thinks of His children as beloved is the one that bled when pierced by thorn; making His perfect righteousness ours to be worn.
From His mouth with blood stained corners he urged; forgive them, Father, they know not what they do. The same mouth says, I know, and I finished it, so no debt or condemnation is due.
The One, who died to ransom you, sees where you are bleeding today, and He wishes you to remember that He will never go away.
Life is full of hurts and worries, but we must stay in His story; fixing our eyes to see, so not to miss His glory.
May you encounter His glory today.
You Complete Me
Am I finding life in my current success or my eternal security? My answer makes all the difference.
Father, you know I am bent towards a fallen nature of performance based righteousness. By my power, in my own eyes, I will never be enough. Thank you for sacrificing your Son to complete me. Help me to find significance in Your sanctuary, not my success. Amen.
Father, you know I am bent towards a fallen nature of performance based righteousness. By my power, in my own eyes, I will never be enough. Thank you for sacrificing your Son to complete me. Help me to find significance in Your sanctuary, not my success. Amen.
Walking Home Well
Father our vulnerability is the greatest gift we have to offer each other. Embracing transparency frees us from a life of isolation, and the exhaustion of trying to appear like we have it all together. Transparency is contagious and liberating because it gives us and others permission to be “normal.” Father there are so many ways we try and dress up so we feel acceptable to the world, You and even ourselves. Many are the masks of self-righteousness. Accessorizing with them drains energy we should be using to rest in your perfect righteousness that is already ours. Our lives are just a long walk Home Father. Enable us to walk our beautifully, broken journeys with each other well. Remind us we cannot do that if we are not willing to give up our need to manage what people think of us, and to have the appearance of an “altogether” life. We are all only accountable to You. Let us never forget you accept us just as we are, broken and inadequate, but unconditionally loved and approved. Amen.
Turn Your Child’s Sin Into Success
Inadequate and Unashamed
Vulnerability, for me is one of the keys to living free. It is the willingness to say, I am broken and weak that opens a reservoir of strength we can only gain in our inadequacy.If we need not, we seek not. It is only in seeking we find.
I’m muddling through my days right now friends. Intense, sudden trauma can wreck havoc on your body and mind weeks and months after the jolting of its turbulence has passed. It certainly has mine. I’m relieved but restless. I thankful but tired. I mingle with grief and walk with gratitude. If you have never occupied such a space, you may not understand, but it is a cumbersome place to fall. I find myself wondering when I will feel adequate again? When will I not feel like I’m letting everyone and everything in my home, and around me down?
Then I’m reminded, that is an arrogant, self sufficient line of interrogation. There will never be a time I will not be neglecting someone or something. In those moments when I forget, I am consumed by frustration. Rest, peace and growth become good desires I am chasing in vain.
I have been feeling very insufficient since Carter’s accident. I am very forgetful. My memory has abandoned me. I do hope it’s on a beach somewhere planning a return soon. If not, I hope it comes back to get the rest of me-:). I’m going to need to shop soon for new clothes, sheets, towels, etc…if the laundry continues to not do itself. My pantry and refrigerator scare me. Every time I open them, they rebuke me. Really, it goes something like this, “we need eggs, ice cream, milk, bread, and just when exactly do you plan on getting to the store?”
With Carter in school such short days, and so many appointments, I am finding it hard to manage my time and responsibilities. When I get a few moments, the to do list is longer than my ability to perform, and sturdier than my stamina. The last few days I have been feeling particularly inferior to my sub par performance- Until yesterday morning.
During a Bible study, Unhitching from the Crazy Train, Julie Sparkman of @Restore Ministries, said this, “we are inadequate and unashamed- that equals the Gospel. That gem of truth was a life giving reminder on a flesh flourishing day for me. It was like a refreshing drink of water on a scorching August afternoon. I knew, but I had forgotten. I had forgotten, and thus forsaken the Gospel.
Jesus died for my inadequacies, and yours. Being ashamed of them is being dishonorable to Him. He willingly gave his life to give me life. He suffered a cruel, undeserved death to complete me in all the areas I am incomplete. Because He is whole, I am free to be broken. Because he is perfect, I am free to be imperfect. That is good news for a ragamuffin like me.There is no need to twinge in light of my truth. There is no need to cower to condemnation. I am righteous because Jesus is risen.
Life has its way of coaxing us into forgetting, but the Gospel has its way of coaching us into remembering.
C. S. Lewis said, “people need reminding a lot more than they need instructing.” Those words are bearers of solid truth. I know, and I forget. I am reminded, and I am set free.
Our years are a series of stages and phases. I am grateful for the ones in which my insufficiency is illuminated so my mind and spirit can once again yield to the exclusion of the One who secures for me all that I cannot attain on my own. I need the Gospel in my hands everyday, so that my heart may remember everyday. I am continually drawn to an awareness that growth is most fertile when planted in the soil of grief. Staying cognizant of that is a bridge to hope and gratitude.
I hope in all the areas you feel inadequate today, and everyday you can find some freedom from this, as I did.