Performance Based Acceptance

Thursday, May 09, 2013             Romans 12:2

Performance Based Acceptance

Is it really possible to live a life of grace in a performance-based-acceptance culture? Yes, it is possible to live a life of grace, but it takes training. The good news is that it is possible to do through training what is impossible to do by trying. Life in Christ becomes our way of life as we train ourselves to understand life from a Godly perspective: “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect” (Romans 12:2). 

Almost every career is governed by statistics. Athletes have their performance measured by many variables and financial advisors measure their returns against the stock exchange averages. Pastors have their performance reviewed by congregations every Sunday after the sermon. Schoolteachers are evaluated on the basis of the test scores of their students. While such statistics are by no means an indication of the worth or value of a person, in our culture it is quite common to evaluate the worth, or value of a person based on their batting average, won-loss record, or FedEx Cup points. 

There are two important keys in the training process as we seek the life in Christ as our way of life. The first key is in understanding that our performance in life does not determine our worth or value as human beings. A Christian, at the very core of their being, is the beloved child of God, with whom God is delighted and upon whom God’s favor rests. However, this wonderful, marvelous grace of God does not give us license to become an under-achiever. God’s Word calls us to a high standard, not mediocrity. This is the second key.

God’s unfailing love for us enables the believer to see the difference between our identity as the beloved child of God and our performance in the world. Both are important. We can rest in the security of God’s unchanging love for us, and therefore we do not have to be afraid of failure. God’s perfect love is intended to remove all fear from the believer’s heart. As we live in grace, no matter how miserably we may fail to meet cultural standards, God is not ashamed of us. And as we live in grace, we are not ashamed to rest in God’s love for us, regardless of the world’s judgment of our performance.

Because of God’s love for me, I want to offer my very best work to God. This I believe is true worship. Offering my very best requires that I am open to receive criticism, direction and correction from my supervisors, peers, and those I serve. Why? Because, with all that I am and all that I have, I desire to honor God as my response to His love and acceptance of me, just as I am.

Sē’lah

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(Selah is a word that appears in the Book of Psalms that I often use as the Complimentary Closing in my correspondence. Its meaning, as I use the word, is to pause and think about these things.)

These meditations are written by Alex M. Knight as he seeks the life in Christ as his way of life.  In addition to this BLOG they are distributed on the Constant Contact email server. You may subscribe to this email service by sending an email to: amkrom812@gmail.com. The BLOG is also available on Amazon Kindle, by subscription

Publications by Alex M. Knight:

·        Seeking the Life in Christ, Meditations on the New Testament and Psalms has been published and is now available at Amazon.com. The Kindle version will follow soon.

·        The second edition First Think – Then Pray has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.

·        Meditations on The Story of My Life as told by Jesus Christ has been released as an e-book on Amazon Kindle.