Door #1 or Door #2?

How would you respond if I was to ask you, "Why does God love you, like you, and use you?" For the average Christian, the answer to this question is Christianity 101: "because of Jesus!" If you answered that, good! But do you always live your answer?

In Galatians 3 in the Bible, it says this: All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.'...Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.'"

Do you ever fall into a pattern of thinking God is really proud of you and loves you even more than normal when you are obeying Him? Do you ever fall into a pattern of thinking that God is disappointed in you, simply puts up with you, or can't use you when you have been disobedient?

Whether if you are doing "good" or "not so good" right now, if you are thinking God's view of you is based on you, according to Galatians 3, you are putting yourself under a curse.

I can either go through door #1 which is the Law or I can go through door #2 which is God's grace. If we go through door #1 by thinking God's view of me depends on me, God will hold me to the requirements of the Law. This will sink me quickly because none of us can uphold that perfect Law. Hence, I will experience a curse on my life.

Or, I can choose to go through door #2 and believe what the Bible tells me: that Jesus took the curse of the Law away from me by becoming a curse for me. Through this door, God's like, love, and ability to use me is not based AT ALL on me. It is simply and completely based on grace, which by definition is "unmerited love".

So, what'll it be: door #1 with its unachievable perfection and curse or door #2 of God's grace? It sounds pretty simple, huh? But, sometimes even we Christians can fall back into bad habits. God bless you as you intentionally choose door #2!