But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:4-9
I was dead, lifeless, not breathing, not capable of even sitting up on my own, spiritually speaking. To give my life meaning or purpose or value, there was nothing I could do. So, Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life and completed all the requirements of God's intention for Adam and Eve to image Him perfectly, the requirements that they failed to meet and as a result left their descendants spiritually dead (and all the accompanying effects of death emotionally, physically, relationally, etc.). His completed work was breathed into me, His completed work was credited to me, and He has simply asked me to "walk in it."
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds! And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? If then you are not able to do as small a thing as that, why are you anxious about the rest? Luke 12:24-26
For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:14
When I fret, fear, fuss, fume, and frantically fight against all that is broken in this world, there is a good chance I have forgotten that the panic and outrage I am feeling over the glimpses of humanity's wickedness is the very story God has been telling us since Adam and Eve's failure in the very beginning. He is not shocked by classism, racism, oppression, depression, or any of the rest of it. But my shock exposes how little I have believed the Gospel's story of humanity's need for redemption and how blind I am to the Redeemer's completed work in which I can take confidence, have hope, and in which I can be at rest. As long as I believe He has given my gifts and talents to me to be the Savior, I am misunderstanding the exhaustive work of Jesus which has already been accomplished though is not yet visibly realized.
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the fruit you get leads to sanctification and its end, eternal life. Romans 6:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23
My gifts, talents, passions, experiences, and part of "the body" wasn't placed on the earth to complete the work of Jesus but to reflect what He already accomplished. He rebuked Peter for cutting off the soldier's ear because such attacks are not the way God's Kingdom is coming. Judgment is on the person of Jesus alone. The Garden we have been tasked with working is to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Is this what our work is focused upon or something that today gains us accolades but tomorrow is already depreciating in value?
Does God care about justice? The most! He is the MOST just judge. Do I trust and depend on Him to bring His Kingdom or have I come to believe that He is depending on me?
The sower sows the word. And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them. And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy. And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away. And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful. But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold. Mark 4:14-20