How long have you been on the journey of becoming? Are you tired yet? Have you been searching and searching for the elusive fullness of joy promised to God’s children? Where’s the joy? Every day challenges you to get better, be more Christ-like, and find satisfaction and fulfillment.

I did this for a long enough time to consider throwing in the towel. All the effort to change my behavior fell short of my goal. It was exhausting. What I discovered was revolutionary to me. My purpose was not to get better.

If I ask if your salvation is secure, yes, saved, how would you answer? Most people would say I sure hope I am; I’m working on it, you’d have to ask God, or I have no clue. It’s no wonder so many people who claim to know Jesus are miserable.

The answer to my dilemma is one I struggled to believe because it was too simple. I spent all my time working on becoming something I could never achieve; the proverbial banging my head against a brick wall. Ugh.

Acts 16:30-31 “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved,

 John 5:24 “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.”

Romans 10:9-10 “That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.”

In as few words as possible, I am trying to say that I spent my life trying to become. I thought God wanted me to be what I already possessed. The gift of eternal life was mine when I accepted Jesus as savior.

He gave me the diploma when I confessed Jesus as Lord. He is now teaching me the nuances of what that means. He gave me the certification of achievement when I was messed up with no clue what I was doing. It’s all about Jesus. He saves, does the work, whew, and rewards me as if I had earned it. He alone can change the human heart. When we realize He does it all we are free and full of joy.

Who does that?