Have you ever caught yourself thinking, “I need to be better for God to be pleased with me”? It’s subtle but powerful—the idea that we need to earn God’s approval through our performance. But the Gospel flips that thinking on its head. We don’t serve to be accepted; we serve because we’ve been accepted. The cross of Christ didn’t just save us from something—it saved us for something. Everything we do now flows from a place of love, not a ladder we climb for validation, because He did…
Trading ‘Earning’ for Overflow
When I was a kid, I worked for approval. I was dying for someone to recognize me for some indication that I was loved. I learned as a Social Work major in college that as a child and young adult, I played the role of “Hero.” The hope was I would be recognized and loved…and I might be able to quiet the noise of a broken family. So in sports, I worked overtime, harder, and faster, in an attempt to be good enough.
As a kid, my wife Carmen felt she had to work hard to “Earn her keep,” as she puts it. Nothing was ever a ‘give me.’ Her worth was what she could do for others, and not in who SHE was. Whatever had to be done, and whatever she could do, she did it. She did it, hoping to be recognized. In striving for love and recognition, it never came (note: it did come later in life with her mother).
Living from Grace, Not for Approval
But the truth is, the gospel isn’t about what we do to gain God’s favor. It’s about what Jesus already did.
And sometimes we carry that same mentality into our relationship with God.
But Paul gives us a powerful reframe:
Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.
We Love Because He First Loved Us
A reminder…
Titus 3:5
He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His mercy.
Let that sink in.
He didn’t wait for us to perform. And He didn’t check our spiritual checklist or Santa’s ‘Naughty or Nice’ list. He saved us out of sheer, undeserved mercy. And now, everything we do, our work, our generosity, our obedience, all flow from that place of grace.
The Truth Shifts Everything
You don’t…
- Read your Bible to get on God’s good side.
- Show up at church to prove your worth.
- Volunteer, serve, or give because you’re trying to climb some heavenly ladder.
You do it all because of what He’s already done. We don’t serve Him to earn His mercy. We serve Him because we’ve already received it.
What It Looks Like in Everyday Life
When grace is your starting point,
Your actions become worship, not work.
- In your business: You lead with integrity, not to prove you’re a “Christian business,” but because your life is a response to a faithful God.
- In your parenting, you show grace because you know what it’s like to receive it.
- In your service, you pour out because you’ve been filled up by the Spirit of God.
It’s a heart posture that says, “Because He did, I do.”
You don’t have to earn God’s love. You already have it.
Challenge of the Week
Each morning, when you wake up, say to yourself, “Father, I am thankful for what I do today because of what you have done for me. I am doing what I do today because I am loved by you. And so I am not striving to earn my keep to be loved, for you unconditionally loved me first. In Jesus name, so be it!
Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.
Related Posts:
- Apprenticeship’s Available
- WWJDIHWM (What Would Jesus Do If He Were Me)
- Soaring Like an Eagle
