“But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.” (Paul)Philippians 3:7

Grace takes natural gifts, and even spiritual privilege, spiritual pedigree and all zealous works and shifts them in total to the liability side of the balance sheet, from our perception of the asset column in which we had placed them. These “assets” are one and all without exception hindrances to our entry into the narrow door, and must be repented of in their entirety. Self-Righteousness and good works unto attempted justification before holy God will condemn a man to hell as certainly as blasphemy. In the parable of the Wedding Feast the man’s appearance without proper wedding apparel into the King’s dinner celebration resulted in his being cast into outer darkness. He made it a great distance and convinced many of his eligibility to enter, but he failed the King’s scrutiny in the final judgment. We must take heed unto our selves and our doctrine. 

If we are trusting in our confidence of a ticket stub held in hand that gives apparent validation of an past experience or decision we made, and not the present experience of the living God who works deeds of deliverance in our lives today, we need to go again to the basis of saving faith. We must again reconsider, remember and reflect upon the One Mediator sufficient to bring about an eternal ceasefire between ourselves and the Holy God of Heaven. Am I navel-gazing and overcome with grief, sorrow and guilt over my failures to meet my standard, or even worse, condemned by His impossible standard? Or do I grace-gaze into the heavens, anticipating the blessed hope and glory of the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ? I say it is a potential idol to look at a decision or anywhere else, and not to Jesus alone. No where in scripture is such counsel given to recollect a past decision as the basis of hope, but rather, “As you received Christ as Lord, so walk in you Him.” FAITH! We are always compelled to look to faith’s Author and Finisher!

Peter says it well for us all in John 6:

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have words of eternal life and we have believed and come to know that You are the holy One sent from God.”

We must never forget: There simply never has been an adequate Plan B. Not ever. WHEN WE BELIEVE WE BEGIN TO KNOW GOD, and that is Eternal Life. 
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