Trying to please God through our own efforts can eventually lead to one of two roads.  One is a feeling of frustration and/or failure.  The other is a self-righteous attitude about your accomplishments.  Are you tired of trying yet?

God is pleased with His Son.ⁱ  He places us in Christ.  Christ becomes everything for us and to us.  In Christ we are acceptable and pleasing to God.

The gospel presentation is often only partial.  A sinner in need of a Savior is a large part of the message.  Equally important is the truth that we are powerless in ourselves to live the Christian life.* 

When presented with the gospel, I had no problem believing I was a sinner.  I knew the Ten Commandments.  I knew I needed a Savior.  I came from a salvation by grace plus works background, which fit perfectly with trying to please God.  In the early years, however, what I felt was frustration and failure. 

The end brought a brilliant new beginning!  In that split second, as I felt near a break down, the light of God illuminated this scripture:

Even as [in His love] He chose us – actually picked us out for Himself as His own – in Christ before the foundation of the world; that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.ⁱ

My version of that scripture is “I was accepted in Christ, before I could do anything right or wrong.  I could not be rejected because I was already accepted, in Christ, before the foundation of the world!” 

REJECTION . . . IMPOSSIBLE!  That was the Good News that changed my life and ultimately my walk with God. 

I realized and accepted the finished work of Christ and learned to live on the resurrection side of the cross.

** To learn more about walking and living in the Spirit go to https://www.midwayministries.com/

Ephesians 1:4 Amplified Version