But when the goodness and kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared [in human form as the Man, Jesus Christ], ⁵ He saved us, not because of any works of righteousness that we have done, but because of His own compassion and mercy, by the cleansing of the new birth (spiritual transformation, regeneration) and renewing by the Holy Spirit,.. Titus 3:4-7

The Bible is clear and emphatic: God saves us. We don’t save ourselves; we don’t earn our salvation. God saves us by His mercy, not because of our good works. Yet, though the Bible is clear and emphatic, the human tendency is to not believe the Gospel of grace and revert to the religion of works.

What’s the difference between religion and the Gospel?

• Religion is all about doing. The Gospel is all about receiving.
• Religion is my work for God. The Gospel is God’s work for me.
• Religion is the performance plan. The Gospel is the grace plan.
• With religion, I obey to be accepted. With the Gospel, I obey because I’m accepted.
• Religion focuses on rule-keeping. The Gospel focuses on the cross of Christ.
• With religion, I serve God out of fear and insecurity. With the Gospel, I serve God out of grateful love.
• With religion, my identity is based on how I measure up. With the Gospel, my identity is based on Christ’s love and grace.
• With religion, I feel pride when I measure up and guilt when I fail. With the Gospel, I think neither pride, because God did it all, nor guilt, because I’m completely forgiven.
• With religion, I see God as harsh. With the Gospel, I see God as gracious.

When you are living in My love, and your heart is filled with the reality of the sacrifice I have made for you on the cross, you will be motivated to do good works for Me. When you understand there is nothing that you can do to earn or lose My love (Romans 8:38), your motive won’t be to earn favor by what you do, but you will be motivated out of gratitude and joy to serve Me. In this there is freedom.

Doing works in an attempt to earn My favor is death (Romans 7:5). But doing good works from a place of gratitude is life and joy. You will be able to tell when you start to live like an orphan, instead of living like a daughter, because you will begin to strive and panic. You will begin to feel as if you are not doing enough for Me. You will feel like a slave.

But life with me, being filled with my spirit, with knowledge of My love is liberating (2 Corinthians 3:17). I want you to know the joy that comes from serving Me with the right motives. And that only comes when you are convinced of My love. Be confident of My love. (Lamentations 3:22-23).

You will experience the most joy when serving Me out of the right motives (Galatians 5:22-23). This is why it’s always important to ask yourself why you do what you do. If you are serving Me to gain my favor or validate who you are; if you are attempting to build yourself up and find significance through what you do, you won’t experience My joy. Nothing you will do will ever fill you up. Works done from the wrong motives will be like pouring water into a pitcher with a hole in the bottom. You can never do enough to experience significance and joy. Joy comes from knowing Me and serving Me from a heart that is resting in My love. Rest in my love. You belong to me (1 John 3:1).

If the approval of people is my test for success, I will live in a perpetual state of anxious uncertainty, but if I serve in the power of the Holy Spirit, I can rest assured that He is at work ahead of me, with me and after me—with or without words of affirmation from others. Boyd Bailey