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Gospel-Driven Encouragement for Homemakers

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EP 109: God’s Blessing Does Not Depend on Our Performance

by Marci Ferrell
Bible Study Biblical Womanhood Christian Living Contentment Gratitude Homemaking Ministries Conferences Podcast Reader Favorites

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God’s grace through Christ is greater than our sin, even on our worst days. #godsgrace #jerrybridges @thankfulhomemaker

 

God’s grace through Christ is greater than our sin, even on our worst days. @mferrell

We know we’re saved by grace through faith as believers, and we know scripture also teaches we’re called to live lives that strive towards and are growing in holiness. Let go and let God isn’t biblical.

Jerry Bridges reminds us how the gospel deals with these two issues that seem to oppose each other. He reminds us to rely on God’s grace alone for our salvation and to strive by His grace to be holy.

If we forget this truth, we will fall into one of two camps; self-righteousness or self-pity. Jerry Bridges gives a helpful example I want to share with you.

You Can Listen to the Bitesize Episode Below:

(You can read the post below or listen in to the podcast episode where I share a bit more information.)

Subscribe to the Podcast on Your Favorite App

Related Resources:

EP 69: Preaching the Gospel to Yourself 

The Gospel Condensed (Romans 8:1) sermon by Doug Ferrell

CityAlight

The Discipline of Grace by Jerry Bridges

Trusting God by Jerry Bridges

 

Open Hearts in a Closed World Conference

Open Hearts in a Closed World Schedule

Let me throw two scenarios by you:

Good Day:

You wake up, get your coffee, pray and have your time in God’s Word. You get your family breakfast and start school with the kids. The whole day falls into place beautifully, and at the end of the day a neighbor stops by, and you have an opportunity to share the gospel with her. As you start to talk, you pray silently and ask the Lord to help you share the gospel with her and work in her heart.

Bad Day:

Today is opposite the first. You wake up late and have no time to pray or read the Word. you don’t have milk for breakfast, you’re short with the kids, and you’re dealing with a lot of guilt over your day by the end of it. The doorbell rings a neighbor stops by, and you have an opportunity to share the gospel with her. Would you enter into it the same way as you did the prior day?

What would your level of confidence be on a good day vs. a bad day?

Do you believe God can bless you in the midst of what you would consider a bad spiritual day?

A reminder again, God’s blessing does not depend on our performance. 

How do we deal with the bad day? We need to go back to the Cross and fix our eyes on Jesus. Confess areas of sin to the Lord but be reminded of Romans 8:1 – “There is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” You at that moment are reminded that it’s only because of Jesus suffering the punishment you deserve that you are enabled to share the gospel with this neighbor. Jerry Bridges reminds us that God’s grace through Christ is greater than our sin, even on our worst days.

God’s grace through Christ is greater than our sin, even on our worst days. Click to Tweet

Charles Spurgeon used to pray one sentence before he entered the pulpit –“God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 8:13). That about covers it!

If we look at our good day, we can begin to think that God only works through those who are good or have done things that seem pleasing to the Lord. So how good is good enough? We can’t reach the standard of perfection Jesus did. 

This scenario reminds us that no matter our performance, we are fully reliant on God’s grace, which is His undeserved favor on those who deserve His wrath. 

May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ ~ Galatians 6:14

The Good News of the Gospel is God’s grace is available on our bad days and our good days. We sin every day in thought, word, deed, and motives. Our spiritual lives benefit greatly from being reminded of the gospel every day. 

“We are saved by grace, and we are to live by grace every day of our Christian lives.” ~Jerry Bridges

I know the question of obedience is going to come in here, so I want to quote Jerry Bridges from his book:

Does the fact that God has forgiven us all our sins mean that He no longer cares whether we obey or disobey? Not at all. The Scripture speaks of our grieving the Holy Spirit through our sins (Ephesians 4:30). And Paul prayed that we “may please God in every way” (Col 1:10). We grieve God, and we please God. Clearly, He cares about our conduct and will discipline us when we refuse to repent of conscious sin. But God is no longer our Judge. Through Christ, he is now our heavenly Father who disciplines us only out of love and only for our good.

If God’s favor to us were based on our performance – we’re in trouble because even our best days are flawed with sin. We don’t always have pure motives and really in some way we are always looking out for ourselves. 

~ Above excerpt from The Discipline of Grace: God’s Role and Our Role in the Pursuit of Holiness by Jerry Bridges

 

My favorite quote of Jerry Bridges is:

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.

He continues: Every day of our Christian experience should be a day of relating to God on the basis of His grace alone. We are not only saved by grace, but we also live by grace every day. 

Your worst days are never so bad that you are beyond the reach of God’s grace. And your best days are never so good that you are beyond the need of God’s grace.' Click to Tweet

 

 

 

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Related posts:

  1. What is Spiritual Maturity?
  2. EP 15: Prioritizing God’s Word When Life is Busy
  3. EP 53: Daily Bible Reading (Spiritual Disciplines Series)
  4. Podcast EP 78: Where is My Hope?


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« EP 108: You are the Light of the World (Matthew 5:14-16 – Sermon on the Mount Series)
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Comments

  1. Jessica says

    at

    I loved, and am so thankful for this bitesized podcast this morning. I listened to it while folding some laundry.
    So, two weeks ago I found myself anxious and not sleeping well. I felt since homeschool is over for the summer that we are lacking routine and things feel chaotic. I wasnt planning out our family meals well or keeping up with the house. I felt like I was failing as a mom and a wife by not managing my home well. My husband is a pastor and We talked one night about how I was feeling. We are reformed. I know that we are saved by grace alone and held in His grace. He said to me “So what you are saying is that you think God’s favor on you is dependent on your works?” I replied that I know that it isn’t, but still it creeps in at times…this idolatry of performance. I appreciate this so very timely reminder this morning through your podcast. I am going to get Jerry Bridges and read through it. 🙂

    • Marci Ferrell says

      at

      Jessica thank you so much for sharing – as a reformed believer it’s still a reminder I need so often. I so appreciate Jerry Bridges and thankful we have so many of his resources to learn from.

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Whether you're running errands, doing household ch Whether you're running errands, doing household chores, or sipping your coffee, you can do it in style, reminding yourself and others you are a Thankful Homemaker 🥰⁣
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Shop TH Gear at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image).
What do you think of when you hear the word discer What do you think of when you hear the word discernment? The dictionary defines it as making a distinction between good and evil and truth and falsehood. As believers, we all desire to be discerning and wise in our choices. As we mature and grow in our knowledge of the scriptures, the hope is we will use that information to make choices in line with God's will.⁣
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We become discerning people by not just knowing what to think but how to think. Being spiritually discerning is an ability to see the world the way God does. This comes about as we grow and mature spiritually into the likeness of Christ. It is about seeing “All That's Good.”⁣
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Read Seeking Whatever is Good at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
“Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench i “Waiting exposes our idols and throws a wrench into our coping mechanisms. It brings us to the end of what we can control and forces us to cry out to God. God doesn’t waste our waiting. He uses it to conform us to the image of his Son.”⁣
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Listen in to EP 23: Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding mysel As I’m sharing this episode, I’m finding myself in a waiting room on the Lord, and it’s been a long one, and I don’t see an end near.  It has reminded me that when I gave myself to Him, I gave up my “right” to be in charge. The reality is we never were in charge anyway; we just came to that understanding when the Lord opened our eyes to His sovereign control over our lives.⁣
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Even though it is a truth I know or we know, how many times do we want to think that somehow we can effect change in our life situations?⁣
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Waiting is hard because there is no guarantee that my waiting will end in this lifetime. One thing I have learned – my waiting has deepened my trust in the Lord and has helped me to develop patience, perseverance, and endurance.⁣
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It’s also given me different eyes to see with compassion others who are in a season of waiting.⁣
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Listen in to EP 23 Seasons of Waiting at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
Six questions I have written in my Bible that have Six questions I have written in my Bible that have been a help to me over the years may be a help to you, too, to be prayerful and slow to speak. These are helpful questions not just in our friendships but in our marriages and with our children, and truly any of our relationships:⁣
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1. Is this the time to say this?⁣
2. Am I the person to say this?⁣
3. Is it necessary?⁣
4. Is it true?⁣
5. Is it kind?⁣
6. Do I need to say this?⁣
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Listen in to EP 140: Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
We all know that fostering true biblical friendshi We all know that fostering true biblical friendship isn’t easy – it takes work. Jesus told us in John 16:33 that we’re going to have trouble in this world, and trouble does touch all our lives in various areas, but this includes our friendships too.⁣
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We’ll be hurt; we’ll be the ones hurting others; selfishness is a battle; jealousy and envy raise their ugly heads; we have our fears and insecurities, failed expectations, the damage our tongues do to one another, not appropriating the gospel and these all come from hearts that are still battling sin. ⁣
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So when these threats to our friendship with one another in Christ come up, it shouldn’t surprise us that we have these issues, but what we need to keep at the forefront of our minds is how we respond and deal with them when they do come up. ⁣
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I want to walk us through some of these threats, and this list I’m working with isn’t exhaustive – there are many more threats than what I am addressing today – but these are areas that stood out to me that have been a battle within some of my friendships over the years. Sadly, it is often the sin I’m battling in my heart, and I need to get my thinking, attitudes, and actions lined up with God’s Word.⁣
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Listen to EP 140 Threats to Biblical Friendship at the link in my profile @thankfulhomemaker (click on the link under the blue arrows and then this image)
May we be women who are willing to return to the a May we be women who are willing to return to the authority of God’s Word, embrace God’s priorities for our lives and homes, and live out the beauty and wonder of womanhood as God created it to be.⁣
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Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction Women will never find fulfillment and satisfaction by trying to be "like" men and shedding their uniqueness as a female.  They will only find satisfaction in Christ.⁣
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“Complaining will seem increasingly ugly when yo “Complaining will seem increasingly ugly when you let the beauty of God’s Word transform your words.” ⁣
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