Missed it, by THAT much …
by Sonia Hulme
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But Israel, who pursued a law of righteousness, has not attained it … because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works (Romans 9:31,32a).
Am I the only person who finds that reading some parts of Romans messes with your brain?
Does the following paraphrase of it make more sense?
And Israel, who seemed so interested in reading and talking about what God was doing, missed it. How could they miss it? Because instead of trusting God, they took over … They were absorbed in what they themselves were doing, so absorbed in their ‘God projects’ that they didn’t notice God right in front of them …’ (The Message).
Sometimes I think we’re a bit like Israel. How do we ‘pursue a law of righteousness’ or, in plainer English, say and do all the right Christian things but subtly slip into trying to pile up credit and earn his approval? How do we try to set ourselves right with God, to earn our salvation by doing things for him? In the end, it’s a losing battle because nothing we can ever do could begin to repay what God has done for us. We will always be imperfect in the face of his perfection.
That’s why we need Jesus so desperately. Even our best acts of service and best intentions for serving him will be tainted by our human, mixed-up motives, subtle pride, and patting ourselves on the back for our faithful service.
The alternative is to make peace with our imperfections and accept our brokenness. What a relief to stop trying so hard and instead focus on just how incredibly loved we are by our Heavenly Father. As we shift our eyes away from ourselves to his great love for us, we get lost in what God has done for us through the gift of his Son. Each time we look at the cross, in worship, we can say, ‘If God loves me like that, I can trust him with my life and soul’.
The hymn Rock of Ages* sums it up pretty well too:
Not the labours of my hands
Can fulfil your law’s demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone:
You must save, and You alone.
(With thanks to William Barclay for helping un-mess my brain.)
Thank you, Jesus, that you alone did enough, loved enough, were enough. I am grateful. Amen.
*Augustus Montague Toplady (1740–1778)
Sonia lives in the north-eastern suburbs of Adelaide with her husband and five children. She works part-time in a support role at Good Shepherd Lutheran School and as a spiritual director, helping people discern God at work in their lives.
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