GOLD STARS DIDN’T MAKE ME HOLY (But Jesus Did)
By age 7, I earned dozens of shiny gold stars in my Bible.
Being raised in church put me on the fast track to holy living.
By age 4, I gave my heart to Jesus.
By age 5, I achieved perfect church attendance three times a week.
By age 7, I earned dozens of shiny gold stars in my Bible.
Throughout my childhood, I submitted unruly hair to pink sponge curlers and squeezed growing feet into too-tight shoes, hoping to reach perfection.
But after years of trying, I only felt worse.
"Be sure your sin will find you out!" Mom used to say, and it still holds true for Christians today.
The walk of faith is one step forward and two steps back, an agonizing pace that leaves us hopeless of getting to where we need to be.
But here's what every broken believer needs to know:
There's no shortcut to holiness.
At the very moment we put our trust in Jesus, we're already there.
Before Jesus, we were far, far away. The moment we received Jesus, we received His righteousness which brought us right to God.
Momma's well-worn Amplified Bible says it this way:
But now [at this very moment] in Christ Jesus you who once were [so very] far away [from God] have been brought near by the blood of Christ. -Ephesians 2:13 (AMP)
"It is finished!" Jesus shouted from the cross because His holy work on our behalf was done.
But we won't see the finished product until we see His face.
"When He appears, we shall be like Him because we shall see Him as He is." -1 John 3:2
Until that day, keep going. Stay on the path because God's work in you and through you is definitely underway.
"Work out your salvation with fear and trembling," doesn't mean to live in fear that you won't make it.
Expect a good workout as you follow Jesus Christ.
Aim to please Him. Stretch your faith. Bow before Him. Seek the narrow gate.
Bear another's burdens. Go the extra mile. Walk in the Spirit. Throw off that sin. And train your thoughts on Jesus's smile.
Run hard, but rest well knowing that your crown awaits.
Let's get off the fast track that's leading nowhere and trust Jesus.
The One who made us holy will also take us where we need to be in His perfect time.