Performance Christianity

Performance Christianity
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. Psalm 103:11-12 NIV

Do you ever get caught up in "Performance Christianity"? I know I do. Far too many times I think that my relationship with God is measured by every "good act of service". If I do Christian things and think Godly thoughts then God loves me. If I do sinful things and think selfishly, then God loves me not. Some may even think that doing good things adds points and bad things take away points from the love bank. But that is not how God interacts with those that love Him.

At work, my daily performance determines whether I can remain employed. In sports, performance determines whether you can remain on the team. But with God, your relationship with Christ is the determining factor. You are His by Christ, or you aren’t. If you belong to God, then your life should reflect that, should reflect the Father living in you. If we place all our trust in Christ and develop a life attitude of confession and repentance, then we are indeed separated from the guilt of our sin. How far are we removed? Well, what is the distance between the end of the east and the start of west? And this removal of sin is not a reflection of our piety; it reflects the work of Christ!

I you are facing some hard circumstances in life you might think that God has forgotten about you. You may think that He is angry with you over your failures. Or even worse, you may think that you need to earn God's love. But if you love Him, repent and believe in His son, and there will no longer be any resentment. God was never surprised at our failures. That’s why we have grace.