Romans 4:1-12
Be Still: Lord, I give this day – and this moment – to you. Help me turn my attention from life’s distractions towards you and your presence. (Pause, close your eyes, and breathe.) Come, lead and guide me today. I invite you into the depths of my heart.
Read: Romans 4:1-12
Now to the ones who work, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. (v4-5)
Encounter: Work hard, give it your best, and things will work out. Broadly speaking, that’s the cultural narrative we live in: hard work equals reward. And to be fair, there’s truth in that. Those who are committed and energetic in their jobs are generally valued and rewarded. That’s no bad thing – we value work and productivity.
The problem is when we apply this reward-based mindset to our relationships, especially our relationship with God. We start to believe that if we behave a certain way, attend church enough, read our Bible more, or pray harder, then God will love us. Then we’ll be seen as righteous. But that’s not how grace works.
We recently adopted a baby girl, and it’s been fascinating to watch our love for her grow so deeply and quickly in us. That love didn’t come from her working to earn it (believe me – we’re the ones doing all the work!), nor is it simply biological, because she’s adopted. Yet we love her just as fiercely as we do our biological children.
That’s how God loves us. Not because of anything we do or don’t do – just because he does. A friend used to say to me regularly: 'He loves you because he loves you because he loves you.' It’s as simple – and as profound – as that. This is how we are credited as righteous: by faith, not by works. Because he loves us.
Apply: Do you ever feel that God’s love or his view of your righteousness is based on what you do, rather than who you are? It’s not easy to believe that it’s by faith, not works. We can’t work harder to believe it more! All we can do is sit, rest, and trust that because it’s in his Word, it’s true.
Devote: Father God, help me grasp the truth that it’s by faith alone you love me and credit me as righteous. Strip away any sense of needing to earn your acceptance.