The grace you have access to has nothing to do with your person and everything to do with the son of God, Jesus Christ. You don’t get an extra litre of grace for getting straight A’s. You don’t get one Holy Ghost hug for every time you didn’t swear at someone (even though it feels great to exercise the self-control fruit of the spirit).
Acceptance was freely given to you in the person of Christ Jesus. Accepting you gives God “good pleasure”.
Like the words of my poem says “Long before their compliments came; Child, you were. Long after their compliments fade; Child, you’ll be”
Your acceptance isn’t predicated on your bank balance, relationship status, act of service, community work, ministry size, bible size etc. Even if those things do count on different days for different reasons, none of them equals the love that’s already given.
I am writing to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of his name – 1 John 2:12
Activity
Make a list of all the ways you used to earn acceptance before then and find scriptures where God already provided that thing. Some examples are in the table below
| How I used to earn acceptance | Scriptural provision for it |
| Building businesses and making money | Isaiah 48:17, Deuteronomy 8:18 |
| Reading books and winning competitions | Ecclesiastes 9:11 |
This is not a substitute for growth and progress -Yahweh is a God of progress. This is an invitation to come down from your high place and rest. This is a reminder to labour and to build with God so you will not labour or build in vain.
Live from the acceptance of God. Live from the place called “the beloved”. Stop trying to impress God so He can love you more. Instead, understand He’s already loved you so you can express who He created you to be.