Hebrews 12:2 “…fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Philippians 1:6 & 2:13 “…being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus… for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.”
Have you ever taken your littles bowling? You set up the heavy metal ramp, lift the heavy ball, line it up perfectly, and they give it a push. The ball rolls down the lane and crashes into the pins with a mighty STRIKE! Your child jumps up and down, high-fiving everyone, completely convinced they just bowled a perfect shot. Even though you know it was all you, the joy of that moment makes you eager to set up the exact same scenario on the next turn. We love to see our kids succeed, even if we did the heavy lifting.
As Christians, we do the exact same thing with God. We live out wonderful moments of being like Jesus to the world around us. This is your Father’s doing, and the most beautiful part is, He loves it!
Sometimes, we get confused. We look at the good fruits in our lives, our ministry, or our character, and think we’re the ones throwing the strikes. We get caught up in a cycle of striving, trying so hard to perform for God, forgetting that He is the one who set up the pins, provided the strength, and rolled the ball.
It is such a relief to remember that you didn’t even start your relationship with God on your own. Hebrews 12:2 calls Jesus the “author and perfecter” of our faith. He initiated it, and He refines it. All we need to do is enjoy the relationship; everything else comes from Him!
Look at what God promises in Ezekiel 36:26-27. He doesn’t say, “Try harder to change your attitude.” He says, “I will give you a new heart… I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees.”
The Christian life is about leaning into a relationship with a Saviour who is already deeply in love with you. When we fix our eyes on Him, good deeds, kindness, and service flow out of us naturally as a byproduct of simply being with Him, not a chore to check off a list. This is how scripture can tell us to pick up our cross (Matt 16:24) while also promising that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (Matt 11:30). The work is a natural overflow of our gaze locked on the Lord.
Paul reminds us in Philippians 1:6 that the God who started this good work will carry it through to the end. Right now, “it is God who works in you to will and to act” (Phil 2:13). He gives you the desire to do good, and then He gives you the power to do it.
Today, you can step off the performance treadmill. You don’t have to strive for the love you already have. Just lock eyes with Jesus, stay close to Him, and enjoy the game. He’s got the setup covered.
Enjoy just being with Him,
Tammy Keezer & The Freedom Centre Team