Consistency in Faith

I heard a song recently which had a verse I found really interesting and helpful. It was this:
"So Ill stop living off of how I feel
And start standing on Your truth revealed
Jesus is my strength, my shield
And He will never fail me"

Often I find I worry about my life as a Christian. I see countless ways in which I struggle, I thought I'd list a few of the main ones I can think of:
- My pride
- The way I treat others
- What I think about
- The way I spend my money
- The way I spend my time
- My anger
- The way I judge things/people
- The way I pray
- The way/how much I read God's word
- My idolatry
- The lies I make
- The way I make plans
- The time I take with other people
- My lack of involvement in the rest of the Church
- My lack of involvement in the rest of the world
- My selfishness
- My laziness
- My cowardice
- My lusts

And I could go on. I mean these genuinely. I imagine many of them are the same for you, or you have ones of your own. It's so easy to get stuck in a rut, or worry that you're not the Christian you once were, or the Christian someone else is.

How easy it is to forget God in all this!

Look with me to Ephesians 2:

"2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

¹¹ Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called “uncircumcised” by those who call themselves “the circumcision” (which is done in the body by human hands)— ¹² remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.

¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace, ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. ¹⁸ For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

 ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰ built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹ In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²² And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

Who were we when God called us? We were people far away (v17), people dead in our sins (v1). Were we able to do anything to fix it by our own strength? NO. (v8-9)

How was it that we were saved? By grace! (v5,v7,v8)

Who was it that saved us? God! Not us! (v4,v6,v8,v10,v13,v14,v17,v18)

Why were we saved? Because we were good or impressive? NO. Because of God's great love and rich mercy (v4), in order that God, in the coming ages, might show us the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus (v7). God saved us to do the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do (v10). God saved us in order to create a new humanity, a single people of God in Christ (v11-15). God saved us so that we would be reconciled to God (v16), be citizens of God's people and members of God's household (v19), be a holy temple in the Lord (v21) and be a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (v22). 

God keeps his promises. Christian, you didn't save yourself, God saved you. We need to trust in Him, we need to let Him keep doing the work, it never becomes about our goodness, it's always about Him. Delight in Him, have faith in Him (faith and delight that He gives you!! We can take literally none of the credit - thanks and praise be to God!).

Give thanks to God for the fact that God saved you... "Because of God's great love and rich mercy (v4), in order that God, in the coming ages, might show us the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed in His kindness to us in Christ Jesus (v7). God saved us to do the good works He has prepared in advance for us to do (v10). God saved us in order to create a new humanity, a single people of God in Christ (v11-15). God saved us so that we would be reconciled to God (v16), be citizens of God's people and members of God's household (v19), be a holy temple in the Lord (v21) and be a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit (v22)."