How many times have you heard another brother or sister in Christ, or maybe one who thought he or she was in Him, declare to you that, because your behavior was not measuring up to the commands of God, you needed to "get right with Him?" Something you had done, were doing, were thinking about the possibility of doing, or had not done now placed you in a state of being "not right with the Lord."

Panic and fear begin to race through your mind as you consider the horrid consequences of your failing to measure up once again to the righteousness God requires. But as you made another re-commitment to read your Bible more, go to church more, witness more, ask God to forgive you more, tithe more (along with working more to stop doing what you were doing to make yourself "not right with God"), did it ever dawn on you that all your doing or not doing would never be enough?

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all (James 2:10)

Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified (Gal. 2:16)

It was a sobering, sorrowful, and yet thrilling day when the Spirit of God convinced me that every one of my attempts to earn right standing before him through my deeds amounted to one long trail of cow chips. Sobering because I had been intoxicated with how wonderful my flesh could perform but God was now telling me that the flesh profits nothing (John 6:63). Sorrowful because I saw that I had been placing some confidence in my own works for righteousness and acceptance in addition to my Savior