This world is performance-driven. The hunger for acceptance and recognition drives many people. They compete to get ahead and try to earn approval. The need to prove yourself stems from pride. God's Kingdom is the very opposite.
“God opposes the proud,” James wrote, “but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6).
God’s grace is unearned and not based on how well you perform. The least is the greatest in His Kingdom. You don’t have to prove yourself to win God’s love. He has always loved you and drawn you to Himself. You received His love and acceptance as your own the moment you believed by faith in Jesus Christ.
Do you believe living a holy life gives you a better standing with God? It doesn’t. You don't need to prove you’re holy. He accepts you based on Christ’s merit and not yours. Righteousness is a gift from Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21). You can earn nothing. The only sin that Jesus rebuked on earth was that of self-righteousness. He never rebuked sinners—only the Scribes and Pharisees. The problem wasn’t that they were doing bad things. They were doing good things but for the wrong reason. They were performance-driven and trusting in their own goodness.
Living a holy life is not the same as living a grace-filled life. Look at the Pharisees. You can live a holy life for the wrong reason—to be recognized by man and to try to prove to God that you are good. Holiness doesn’t provide grace. Only Jesus gives grace. It’s His goodness that proves you are good. You don’t do good things to win God’s approval. You do good things because you know Christ has made you holy.
No one is good. All of us have fallen short of the glory of God. We can’t expect God to answer our prayers based on our goodness and how well we have served Him. If we ask God for something because of what we have done, we ask Him to reward our religious performance. And that insults His grace. Doing things to earn God’s grace is self-promotion and trying to relate to God based on our own efforts rather than on Jesus’s sacrifice. If we do this, we operate in pride. And pride will never raise up anyone.
“Humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). The only way up in God’s kingdom is down. God exalts. We don’t.
“True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less. True humility is more like self-forgetfulness than false modesty,” C. S. Lewis wrote.
If there is a true humility, there is also a false humility. True humility isn't putting yourself down. True humility responds positively to the grace of Jesus. It “forgets self.” Recognizing God is above everything, true humility honors and exalts Him.
Humbling yourself is not a one-time thing. You must deal with “self” for the rest of your life. Everything good you have in your life comes from God. If “self” is on your throne, your “goodness” is promoted, not His. And pride keeps you working to prove what only Jesus can.
God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble (1 Peter 5:5). Keep recognizing and exalting the Lord above everything else in your life. When you no longer need to seek recognition or promote yourself, you’ll realize God has already exalted you with the greatest gift of all. He has given you the life of His Son.
“A man’s heart plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps” (Proverbs 16:9).
When you truly experience God’s unconditional love and grace, it humbles your heart. You surrender to Him, not because it’s required but because you trust in His inherent goodness. Jesus has made you worthy of God’s love; you quit struggling to prove your worth. You know you are unable to direct your own life. You rest in His grace because you have nothing to prove. There is no acceptance or recognition you require to give your life meaning. You believe your true worth is found in Christ and that what He has for your life is better than anything you could ever imagine.
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