On benefits?

Today, I was just enjoying the beauty of my parent's garden.  We are staying with them for a season, and I really love looking out and enjoying the beauty of the flowers, the pond and the plants that they have cultivated over many years.

It made me think: I get to benefit from the work of someone else's labour!  Felt like there must be a sermon in there somewhere.

We, as Christians are set apart from any religion, because our success is not based on our efforts and labour.   We get to enjoy the fruit of someone else's labour; that of Christ Jesus!

While the lockdown continues, one of the biggest temptations is to focus on ourselves, to consider how we can survive; how we can make it through; how we can work out our finances, but as believers in the finished work of Christ we enter into the rewards for his work and get to enjoy them without striving. 

This doesn't of course mean we sit on our butts and eat chocolate all day, but it does mean that at the start of each day, we can take in the beauty and wonder of Christ's finished work and rest in his presence and promises for the day, week and months ahead, whatever they look like.

Jesus promises us freedom in him, peace, acceptance, provision, love, joy and a life with him.  When we recognize all that his work accomplished, we can enjoy these benefits even in exile or lockdown!  David said in Psalm 103 that we should not forget all these benefits: Forgiveness, healing, rescue from destruction, lovingkindness from God, our needs met, and our energy renewed.

We are saved through grace by faith, not works, so nobody in God's Kingdom can boast any advantage, we are all simply people on benefits; enjoying the fruit of someone else's sacrifice.  This is a humbling and amazing truth.

In this time, I've noticed how my mind can get off into thinking about all sorts of things, but we need to discipline ourselves to bring our thoughts back onto the finished work of Jesus, and his wonderful grace and love towards us.  It is hard to feel discouraged when we remember this and think about the benefits of surrendering our lives to the Living God; they far outweigh the challenges we face.

Happy Saturday.


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