048My Approval In Jesus
posted by davegardner on May 29th, 2008
I’ve been lazy in updating my website for a while, and for that I apologize. I can blame anything I want but the truth is that I just havent made myself write anything for a while. Now seems like a fitting time:
I’ve been through a bit of weirdness in my life, but that’s not to say that i’m different than anybody else. I’ve realized it’s more important to focus on projecting the truth of God into my own personal life rather than others. I’m not Mark Driscoll and certainly not John Piper, both men who have faced great odds against them and succeeded because of their love for Jesus. My Jesus, in fact. The truth is that I’m a sinner who has found foundational sins to repent of.
Recently, conVerge Missional Communities were aimed at Ephesians 2. This Scripture speaks of being made alive in Jesus and replacing the desires of our sins with the good works that we find in Him. I really can’t described what kind of conviction I had from this Scripture because I realized that I was using the wrong motivation for living life in general. I’ve done everything in life to avoid the negatve consequences of not doing what I should. Essentially, I wanted to do things so I didnt get fussed at or made fun of. I’ve always looked for approval from various people by and large because of part of my testimony. After realizing that approval was what I wanted, God showed me that the only approval that I should be wanting is His. The cause behind it all is sin because Jesus is the basis of everything. God’s approval of me was sealed with Jesus dying on the Cross. I used to think that was elementary until God gave me a direct relationship that I knew I approached in an unedifying way. The easiest way to spell out the truth that God showed me was to make If/Then statements:
A. If Jesus died, then I have God’s approval through Jesus.
B. If I have God’s approval, then no one else’s approval matters.
C. If God approves me, then He approves others.
D. If God approves others, then my approval is meaningless outside of directing them to seek God’s approval.
Basically, I’ve put my desire to seek approval from others over my desire to please God and it’s effected the way I treat others. It’s a vindicating conviction of sin that’s under the blood of my Jesus. I hope my brothers and sisters can soon see that I accept them because God accepts them.