Attractive part 3
When you see something better than you've got... and someone is OFFERING it to you... I think we all pretty much have the same reaction: "What's the catch?" Because when something seems too good to be true, it usually is. Except when it comes to love. One of the things that makes love... love... is that it is NOT too good to be true. It is SO good it MUST be true. In fact, it IS the truth! But when you've been believing the lie for a long, long time--the lie that seemed attractive, but turned out to be a life of bondage and servitude--it's hard to believe in something better. Even though you WANT something better with every fiber of your being. Even though you'd spend everything you have and everything you are to GET something better. It seems like every time you reach for the carrot, the stick moves. It seems like every time you try to earn something, there's one thing you lack. That's the trap that the world has set. Because, guess what: People make mistakes. We always have and we always will. So if you're trying to live your life on a performance-based external law type of covenant... it'll always be one step forward, two steps back. The Law demands perfection without being able to produce it. The Law points out what's wrong with you without being able to do anything about it. But the New Covenant is Jesus. The Perfect One living inside you. HIS righteousness IS your righteousness. His perfection is your perfection. As He is, so are we in this world. And since He is altogether lovely... that means we are altogether lovely. And since we are all different parts of the same body... we are lovely all together. That thing that seemed too good to be true... that's who we really are. Deep down inside. The inner man. The hidden man of the heart. And when you know and believe the love of Christ, the hidden man of the heart isn't hidden anymore. He is on full display. Not as a distant, angry taskmaster who is waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you. That's not attractive. That's terrifying. But as a loving heavenly Father who would literally rather die than be without you. The New Covenant is, "Their sins and iniquities I will remember no more." This isn't Santa. God is not making a list and checking it twice. He's not judging us based on our performance. He judged us based on JESUS'S performance. When God looks at you He sees Jesus. And when He looks at Jesus He sees you. Because that's who we really are. Jesus's obedience was counted as ours. And all we have to do is believe it. Like Abraham. Faith = obedience. It's not what you DO, it's what you BELIEVE. Because what you do FLOWS from what you believe. Behavior modification doesn't work. It can't, because it's external. Nothing from outside in can ever last. But once you get what you believe settled... once you stand on the Rock... you cannot be shaken. And then, instead of doing in order to be, you begin to do BECAUSE you be. That thing that looked too good to be true is now overflowing out of you--naturally--as you fill yourself with all the fulness of God. He filled you up, and now what's INSIDE comes out. And what's inside... is love. And when love comes out of you... there's nothing more attractive than that.