8For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9not a result of works, so that no one may boast.  Ephesians 2:8

As I ride the bus and listen in to the few conversations among the people-with-no-ear-buds I hear a common theme of achievement: What have you done lately? What have you accomplished? And even, What are you going to do?

Now with the best of them, I love progress, growth, and change. Following Jesus is not the death of ambition. However, the foundation of our relationship with God must not be based on what we have done.

Knowing we are loved and accepted by God comes by grace, it is a gift of God. There is nothing you can do to get God to like you more. Jesus has done it all. Its not your own doing that got you into God’s good graces.

You don’t have to do anything to get God on your side. Rather by faith in Jesus we enter into the sufficiency of His life, death, and resurrection. We can sit secure with Him, because of His work. This can by the end of comparison, boasting, and using people or our achievements in order to be somebody. In Christ Jesus we are deeply loved.