The Tale of Two Days
June 7th, 2022 • by Jessica Thompson
Have you ever had one of those days where you fall into your bed at night and rehearse all the ways you blew it?
“Wasn’t kind to the barista.”
“Was impatient with a coworker.”
“Spoke unloving words to my kids.”
“Tried to start a fight with my partner.”
On and on the list of your misdeeds goes, and the longer it gets the more you’re convinced that you are probably the worst mom, friend, employee, spouse in the world. You are angry with yourself and angry with everyone else who made you act in all the ways you don’t want to act. As you toss and turn unable to sleep you wonder if God is as disappointed in you as you are in yourself.
Or conversely, have you ever had one of those days where you slowly descend into your bed on a cloud of peace and rehearse all the amazing things you did that day?
“Gave a huge tip to the waiter who really wasn’t that great.”
“Made an all organic, vegan, dairy-free, gluten free, sugar-free, lunch for my children that was actually delicious.”
“Complimented five random strangers.”
“Let the car that was clearly in the wrong go in front of me.”
“Chose to respond in kindness when my friend was being unkind.”
On and on the list of your good deeds goes, and the longer it gets the more convinced you are that you’re really excelling in the fruit of Spirit that your pastor preached on last week. You feel really good about yourself and kind of sorry (maybe a little angry) at all the people who aren’t doing as well as you are. As you drift to sleep you wonder if God loves you a little bit more today.
What’s Missing?
The one thing that’s missing from both days is any thought of Jesus. Oh sure there may have been a quick thought on the first day about how he must be shaking his head while watching you repeatedly lose your mind. There also may have been a thought on the second day about how much you are growing to be like him. But on neither one of the days was your heart grateful for who he is and what he has done. Your eyes were on yourself, even on the day that seemed like God may love you more.
“God’s love for you is based on his character not yours.”
What Are You Believing?
The one consistent thought on both days was that God would love you more or less depending on the day you were having. But every single day we must wake up and fight against this line of thinking. The truth is that on your good days and on your bad days you are loved faithfully and consistently by a God who can’t do anything but love you. God’s love for you is based on his character not yours.
“I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued to extend faithful love to you.” Jeremiah 31:3
We must fight the lie that God’s faithfulness towards us is only intact on the days that we are faithful.
“But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3
We must stand guard against the thoughts that creep into our hearts that tell us that he will only be good to us if we are good Christians.
“Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord as long as I live.” Psalm 23:6 (HCSB)
Our hearts must be fortified by the truth that God’s patience for us will not just run out one day because he has had enough of our shenanigans.
“The Lord is slow to anger and abounding in faithful love, forgiving iniquity and rebellion.” Numbers 14:18
You see, who God is and how he loves his children doesn’t waver. His heart is not a seesaw. His affection is not fickle. He loves you just as much right this second as he does when you aren’t reading a blog about him and instead you are wasting time binge watching some ridiculous show on Netflix.
There is nothing you can do to somehow make him love you more and there is nothing you can do that will somehow make him love you less. You are loved. Now. Completely.
“Who God is and how he loves his children doesn’t waver. His heart is not a seesaw. His affection is not fickle.”
How is This True?
You are loved now completely because you are hidden in the perfect work of Christ for you. He lived the life of a perfect human. He lived in complete peace with God and with others. He chose every single second of every single day to live out his identity as the beloved son. He chose to say no to every cheap substitute of love and temporal satisfaction.
And then your Jesus died on the cross for your sins. Absorbing the penalty for every wrong thing you and I have thought, felt, and done. So now we can stand before God completely forgiven and completely loved not based on anything we have done but rather based on everything Christ did for us.
“He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised for our justification.” Romans 4:25
Now What?
So now how will you live since now everything has been done for you? How will your life reflect the gratefulness you feel when you remember you are washed white as snow? How will you rejoice knowing you were loved from eternity past and will be loved for eternity future? My guess is you are starting to make a list again of all the ways you are going to show God how grateful you are.
May I please add the first two items “to-do” in that list?
1) Be free. Be free from thinking your performance is what earns you love or acceptance or a seat at God’s table.
2) Be forgiven. Walk in that newness of life. Rejoice. Relax. Smile.
Jessica Thompson is an author of several books including her latest How God Loves Us: 40 Days to Discovering His Character in the Fruit of the Spirit and frequent conference speaker. She is part of the podcast Front Porch with the Fitzes, and is the director of church life at RISEN Church in San Diego, California.
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