For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!
Romans 5:15 (NIV)
There once were three young boys walking down a street lined with glass greenhouses. They passed greenhouse after greenhouse, and eventually came upon one where the owner had placed a sign.
“Do not throw stones at my greenhouse.”
Guess what those three boys did? They grabbed the closest stones they could find. What did that law just do? It made them want to break it as fast as they could.
The Bible says the law of the Old Testament is beautiful. It teaches you not to kill, steal, commit adultery; it teaches you how to live. It’s wonderful; it’s perfect. But the law has no ability to help you live it out. In fact, the law that comes at you actually causes you to want to break it more.
You see, the law of God has no ability to help you change. Too many Christians today have left the simplicity of the gospel and have stopped relying on Jesus and His grace.
I know Christians who always try too hard, following a bunch of man-made rules. But it doesn’t work. Striving in your own strength is futile. It’s like throwing water on a grease fire. It makes it spread even more!
When your identity comes from Jesus you’ll begin to rise up with His ability and defeat that feeling of hopelessness or low self-worth or whatever has been keeping you down.
The only way to truly live for God is to get up close and personal with Jesus. That’s when you can begin to walk in His abundant provision of grace.