Our Performance
During my time studying the Scriptures, I often wonder what it would have been like to be moved by the Holy Spirit to write such verses as 2 Peter 1:20 -21 (“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” [NIV]). I am sure Peter was amazed as he was writing that God was using him even though he was not always trusting. Repeatedly, Peter found himself relearning a lesson in having a prideful attitude, wanting to outperform his fellow disciples.
Unfortunately, I find myself doing the same thing as Peter in trying to win God’s favor and grace in my performance. Recently, I have been reading Jerry Bridges’ book The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness, and he presents this question: “What is the difference between a good day and a bad day?” My immediate answer is “Whether things go my way.” A bad day is when I don’t get up with the alarm, miss my quiet time, gulp down breakfast, and head off to do the activities of the day feeling guilty. A good day is just the opposite: getting up right away, doing everything I am scheduled to do, and feeling good about myself because “I have God with me now.”
But God is not concerned about my performance. His grace is evident no matter if I do the things that are scheduled or not. Are they important? Yes, absolutely, but we do not attain more grace or favor with God. His grace remains the same. The grace the saved me is the same grace that sustains me. As Paul wrote, “[God’s] grace is sufficient for you” (2 Corinthians 12:9, NIV).
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