DAY 620: YOU ARE PRECIOUS TO GOD

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9 NKJV).

If you lived to be 500 years old, you would not live long enough to please God by your own works. It doesn’t matter how hard you may try to clean yourself up. Your flesh is not accepted before God; it can’t even be reformed. All flesh was done away with at the cross. Now a new man has come forth: the Christ man. True faith is having confidence in what Christ has done for you.

You may say, “Oh, I can believe that God delights in faithful pastors. They pray and spend so much time in his Word. I can believe that elders are precious to him. They have endured sufferings, tests and trials, and have come out victorious. However, I find it hard to believe that a troubled, failing Christian like me could be precious to God. He is surely disgusted with me because my life is so inconsistent. I have problems I can’t seem to get through. I believe he still loves me, but surely he is disappointed in me.”

Please understand Isaiah’s wonderful prophecy of grace when God said, “But now, thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: ‘Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine.’” (Isaiah 43:1). This was spoken to a people who had been robbed, spoiled, snared and cast into prison, all because of their own foolishness and unbelief.

In the following chapter God emphasizes his message. “For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring” (Isaiah 44:3-4). This is not a God who withholds from those he loves!

God wants his children to hear this clearly. He pointedly says to them, “Now, after all your failures, I come to you with this message of hope. And it’s only because you are mine!”

If you lived to be 500 years old, you would not live long enough to please God by your own works

Though (before someone objects) in context, "cannot please God" meaning as regards meriting salvation, but not as though God is not pleased by positive responses to His grace, and by His grace, to no credit of man.

Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as ye have received of us how ye ought to walk and to please God, so ye would abound more and more. (1 Thessalonians 4:1)

You’re right. We can please God with certain things we do. As believers. But not for salvation because salvation is about forgiveness granted by His grace, not because of pleasing God.

Indeed no one can merit salvation, and all our own works are as filthy rags, yet even the lost, when responding to the grace of God, and enabled by the same, can be said to please God (versus displease) even before conversion, which will lead to conversion if continued. Men such as Spurgeon ( before what he testifies to as his conversion, "Spurgeon was raised in his grandfather's home from his infancy until he was nearly six years old. ..Young Charles loved his grandfather's books. He was a prodigy when it came to reading, and he developed a love for books very early. He especially loved Pilgrim's Progress...When Charles was about 10 or 11 years old, he began to be deeply convicted about his sin. He was convinced that he had no saving knowledge of Christ. So he set out on a quest for salvation that lasted about 5 years.) and David Brainerd had a heart to seek and obey God that puts today's converts to shame.

There was a certain man in Cæsarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do. (Acts 10:1-6)

And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. (Acts 11:13-14)

Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. (John 12:35)

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