You Can Rest; Your Best has Already Been Secured
It always seems we’re trying to be better: to manage better, to love better, to work better.
And to an extent it is good to improve ourselves. Growth is good.
But it can become a rat race, running an endless loop of “better” on that elusive pursuit to be our best.
Our Best Secured
I love that during the Christmas season we are reminded more than any other time that there’s one area in which we do not need to strive harder. In fact, it does us no good.
That area is our salvation.
We can quit striving to earn our place in heaven, because our best for eternity has already been secured for us.
We can quit striving to earn our place in heaven, because our best for eternity has already been secured for us. Share on X
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9
And it began with a Babe, more than 2,000 years ago.
With all the endless demands placed on us, by society and ourselves, it’s a sweet, sweet grace to have an area of our lives where we can rest.
God is with us. God is in us. And in His Son, Jesus Christ, the Father has offered us a gift more precious than all the presents we could ever give or receive.
In Jesus, the Father has offered us a gift more precious than all the presents we could ever give or receive. Share on X
So today as you put the last minute touches on your Christmas preparations, rest in God’s promises.
Rest in Emmanuel: He is God with us. He is God in us.
And He has already provided your best. And mine too.
“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved).” Ephesians 2:4-5
Reflections: What is an area in which you strive too much? How does knowing the best has already been secured for you, help with that?
Sorry, this giveaway is over. A special welcome to all the “Living at My Best” listeners! What a thrill to be on Donna Woolam’s radio show! (Click on the link above to listen.) Equally thrilling is to have you pop over to my site for a visit.
As a thank you for visiting, I’m offering a repeat of my beautiful 2016 Praise Calendar giveaway. Be sure to read to the end of this post to enter.
Now for the giveaway! This 8″ x 10″ full-color spiral-bound calendar features 12 of my favorite praise Scripture images created for a special 31 Days of Praise blog series I ran this past October.
The images and verses will encourage and inspire you to draw nearer to the Lord each day of 2016.
To enter the contest, simply follow the guidelines in the Rafflecopter widget.
The drawing will close as Christmas Eve turns into Christmas Day, on that stroke of midnight, so enter now!
More than 4 years of counting and I’ve surpassed 4,500 gifts in Ann Voskamp’s Joy Dare! What a blessing! Here are numbers #4,579–4,599. Read my entire list by clicking here.
- Sound of floodwaters roaring over dam; Messing around with a very goofy Rach after school; Watching Joey perform in his high school Christmas concert, which ended with Handel’s Hallelujah chorus: fabulous!
- Squeezing in a sweet hour with a friend; Decent sale on beef: finally, and just in time for the boys’ time home; Hubby’s care for me
- Tiny flurry of snow: hey I’ll take every flake; Evening of caroling!; Rachel’s excitement every time we sang Away in the Manger that “no crying He makes”
- Having a friend from out of town pop in for a bit; Challenges of my work; Joey working up a trumpet/piano duet with a former teacher of his
- Zach’s home!; Spending the night with my sis at our barn: an event Zach calls the middle-age sister’s slumber party; A night of sharing deep conversation, playing games, and much laughter
- Cool, crisp winter air; Slow, peaceful morning with my sis; Zach home yesterday, Danny today: family complete for Christmas and New Years!
- Children sharing the Good News of Jesus in our church Christmas program; Decorating the barn with the whole clan; Seeing many friends at a Christmas open house
By His Grace,
Julie
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Hello, I'm Julie, an imperfect wife and mother of four. Life in this broken world is not always easy. Yet, joy can be found in each day through the grace and mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ.
I find it's easy for our day's blessings to get lost in its happenings. But God's "mercies never end" (Lamentations 3:22) and His "grace is sufficient" (2 Corinthians 12:9).
May the posts and pages on this site offer you a measure of peace and encouragement.
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I strive to walk in the Spirit so that no temptation can overtake me and so that I won’t disappoint my God and my King or grieve His Holy Spirit.
https://biblehub.com/psalms/119-11.htm
Treasuring His Word, so to walk in His ways, only by His grace and in His strength.
Lovely post and a wonderful reminder, bringing joy and relief at this time of year when its so easy to feel your efforts are imperfect! (Especially for Mums ; ))
Thanks, Alex! All of our fumblings are perfected in Christ; what joy! Blessed Christmas to you.
Great reminder that we may cease striving! I linked onto Coffee For Your Heart a couple of posts after you. Thank you for sharing this!
A message I need over and over, Deb!
Such a comforting thought that our best has already been secured. I strive too often to be “enough” and have too much of a perfectionist nature, so this is a comforting message. Thank you, Julie. The calendar looks so beautiful! I hope you have a wonder-filled Christmas!
I strive in much the same manner as you, Trudy. I write about that which I need. Blessed Christmas to you!