The ABCs of Life

A – Achievement

Are you working to earn God’s favor? Are you trying to prove to God that you are better than everyone else? When you look at salvation, Scripture is crystal clear that we can’t earn this on our own. Ephesians 2:8-9 states that we are saved by grace through faith. This is not of our own doing. It is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.

And yet, when you continue reading and look at verse 10, we find that God created us to do good works. That desire deep in your gut to do something significant is real and God-given.

Christ continually shouts through the universe, “You have nothing to prove to anyone. You have nothing to prove to Me. You are significant, pre-approved, and utterly cherished, not because you are ‘good,’ but because you are mine.”

Seek to do the good works that God prepared in advance for you to do (Ephesians 2:10). Remember, the good you do shouldn’t be about the spotlight. It’s to bring glory to God Almighty, the maker of Heaven and Earth.

So, will you relax and let Christ do the achieving for you?

B – Beauty (or Brains or Brawn)

Here are some additional words that explain this point: We are all seeking success, attention, and accolades. The idea behind the first point is that we are seeking God’s approval by what we do. With this point, whether beauty, brains, or brawn, you might be seeking God’s approval because of who you are. In other words, in your mind, you may see yourself as being simply worthy. With achievements, you had to do the hard work and earn it. With beauty, brains, or brawn, you couldn’t help it; you were born that way. “I’m awesome, and I know it!” Really?

Somehow we believe that if we are beautiful, smart, or strong enough, others will notice us, and we’ll finally feel good about ourselves—we can look in the mirror and feel happy with what we see. We need to remember that man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7).

Among God’s many attributes, He is perfect, holy, omniscient, and Almighty. So, is it even possible to be worthy of His attention? God is seeking people with humble and contrite hearts (Psalm 51:17), and the world’s standard for beauty, smarts, and power is fleeting and changes with the times.

So, are you seeking to be beautiful in the eyes of God?

C – Community

The C in the ABCs of life is Community.  This is about belonging somewhere and finding others who accept us for who we are—warts and all. Doesn’t everyone want the wink, nod, smile, and thumbs-up from our dad or someone we respect and look up to? We want love and acceptance.

Do you know God already loves you and wants His best for you? What you were told in Sunday school is true: Jesus really does love you. The world isn’t so reliable. The world may not always accept us, and when it does, it can be fickle about it.

We were made for relationships. We want to find a place where people know our name and our story and still love us. This is why family is so vital and why a healthy family is good for the soul, while a dysfunctional family can cause so much damage. The same is true of friends.

But are we “looking for love in all the wrong places?” Sometimes, we find “our people” on a team, at work, or in a volunteer community service organization. But have we experienced the common bond that can be found among brothers and sisters in Christ? There is a Christian hymn with lyrics that sum up this concept:

Blest be the tie that binds

Our hearts in Christian love

The fellowship of kindred minds

Is like to that above.

We all crave community and connection but don’t always look for it in the right places. So, are you seeking to be a part of God’s community?