>>>BY CHRIS CHERP
Anyone who has ever golfed or at least tried to golf knows that performance has very little to do with how hard you hit the ball. Generally the harder one tries to hit the golf ball, the worse the outcome. “Let the club do the work” is what I heard many times from the more experienced golfers who accompanied me to the golf course. Every time I listened to their advice and just swung easy, I watched my golf ball in flight headed precisely to where I aimed. Learning to relax and just letting the club do the work allowed me to shave ten-plus strokes off my game. In addition to a lower score, the frustration I once carried with me around the course left, and I began to enjoy golfing.
Similar to slicing the golf ball when attempting to swing with too much effort, as Christians, many of us try to live righteous lives through our own vain efforts. The outcome is always below our expectations. I did this most of my life, and I must say it was exhausting and frustrating. As a matter of fact, every time I began to live a righteous life based on my own efforts I would soon fail. It always seemed to happen especially on Sunday mornings when I was headed to church. However, when I started to apply a principle similar to the one I learned in golf – allow the Blood of Jesus to do the work – I began to live a life of freedom. This freedom in my life began when I understood the reason why Jesus went to the Cross for us. It was so that all who believe in Him are in right standing with God. Because God’s judgment and wrath were exhausted on Jesus and He chooses not to remember our sins anymore, we are truly FREE.
The main clause of the New Covenant is where we find this liberating truth: “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Hebrews 8:12, NKJV). Believing the main clause of the New Covenant has the ability to free any person from their past or current lifestyle or circumstances. When we make Jesus our Lord and Savior, the Lord becomes merciful to our unrighteousness and we become righteous through Jesus Christ (Isaiah 54:17). He chooses not to remember our sins and lawless deeds anymore. Psalm 103:12 (NLT) states, “He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west.” How awesome is that? I began saying to myself every morning, “I am the righteousness of God through Christ Jesus,” and “I am forgiven.” After several weeks of repeating this, I began to know in my heart what that really meant. The revelation is life changing.
I now live a real life of freedom through Christ. Faking the “perfect life” is no longer necessary! It was easy, almost effortless, the moment I began to relax. I finally understood what it meant to be a partaker of the New Covenant, which is the perfect work of Jesus Christ. Freedom through Christ is so often forfeited by Christians because we don’t know or don’t really believe the main clause of the New Covenant. It is no longer by the Ten Commandments that we are justified but through the complete and perfect work of Jesus Christ.
This month as we celebrate the freedom of our wonderful God-blessed country, try remembering all of the freedoms Jesus provided for us through the Cross. You will find the more you put this in remembrance, the more love, joy, and peace will fill your life. Eliminate the frustrating days of self-righteousness and remember you are forgiven. Start living a life of freedom through Jesus and begin enjoying life again. I promise you will never be the same. Glory!
