As sons and daughters of God we should not live in an atmosphere of “fearing to fail” and earning bad karma. This will stress us and, at times, paralyse us. Failure is never final. When we confess our sins to the Father, he forgives and frees us from the burden of sin. God redeems our failures and turns them into opportunities for reshaping our lives.
The religious mind-set thinks it is easier to live by rules and regulations. It does not understand the value of walking by the Spirit. Jesus encountered such a mind-set, when the Pharisees pointed the accusing finger at Him and His disciples for breaking the Sabbath law, by picking food to eat, while walking through the field. Jesus responded to them:
“But if you had known what this means, “I desire mercy and not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned the guiltless” (Matt. 12:7). God looks at the heart.
The religious people were always ready to condemn. However, Jesus did not come to condemn the world but to seek and save what was lost (Luke 19:10). This should be the mind-set of all those who seek to walk in Jesus’ footsteps. Jesus went on to teach that the law was created for people, not the people for the law. What an amazing thought!
If we operate with the mind-set that God uses the law as a divine obstacle course to identify those worthy of Heaven, we fail to see the great blessing His Word and Spirit have in store for us.
Our lack of understanding of God’s love makes us think we must try to gain His favour and earn merits for our salavtion. Like children in a family with unloving parents, we strive to gain the favour of our Father through our efforts.
Have you experienced the redeeming love of Christ? It allows us to walk by faith in the freedom the Spirit gives us by God’s grace.