Have you broken your resolutions?
The new year has just begun, and I have already broken some of my New Year’s resolutions. This is a common theme for many people in the first few weeks or months of the new year: Set expectations or goals for themselves, fail to meet them, and then succumb to the guilt that we were unable to succeed.
But how many of us do this in our spiritual lives as well? “I won’t sin today. I will try not to gossip, lie, idol worship, etc.” Yet, no matter how hard we try, it is never enough. We are left feeling defeated, incapable of living the righteous life God calls us to.
The truth is we can’t do it on our own. We are incapable of mustering up enough strength to no longer sin. But Christ.
Christ not only forgives our sins once we come to a saving faith in him (Romans 5:1), he also intercedes for us. Not if we fail, but when we do. Dave Ortlund puts it this way in his book Gentle and Lowly:
“We are called to mature into deeper levels of personal holiness as we walk with the Lord, truer consecration, new vistas of obedience. But when we don’t – when we choose to sin – though we forsake our true identity, our Savior does not forsake us.”
Christ does not forsake us but chooses to intercede on our behalf before the Father at every moment.
Hebrews 7:25 says, “Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.”
How great and how beautiful of a Savior we serve that he does not leave us to our own devices but works on our behalf to save us. All because he wants to; because of how great he loves us; because that is simply who he is.
His grace far exceeds any of our failures, and all we have to do is acknowledge our need and humbly bow before him in worship for his great intercession and love.
“Oh give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever!” – 1 Chronicles 16:34
Written by Logan Muse, donor engagement at Buckner International.
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