Cutting Wet Grass

When I was a teenager, I had a job at a Salvation Army store that my Dad helped me get with some people he knew at that store. Basically, I was the janitor and would do cleaning throughout the store and then whatever odd jobs were needed. Because my Dad knew some of the people there, he would sometimes come in and hang out, and one day in particular, he came and was going to give me a ride home from work. That day I happened to be helping out by cutting the grass in front of the store and saw this as an opportunity to make my Dad proud, which was not an easy thing to do. Now, not only was I wanting to do well for my Dad, it was also starting to rain, so I felt like I could show him how tough I was by cutting the grass in the rain. If you have ever tried cutting grass when it’s wet, then you know it’s pointless; it literally just lays down, and nothing gets cut. 

Trying to win someone’s approval or favor is exhausting and can easily get us caught up in doing useless things trying to get their attention so we can feel better about the relationship for that moment. I was reminded of this recently when I was praying about my sin and how I had genuinely thought at one point that if I could just try harder, then I could get past some of these tough, ingrained habits. I figured then God would be so proud of me, and I could be assured in a way that He loves me and I am a good Christian. This idea is obviously false, and I am kind of ashamed to admit that I struggle with this so often. Now, I’m sure that others struggle as well, so I would like to look at Gods word and see what He has to say to us. 

Ephesians 2:8-10 says: For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Then in James 1:18 we see: In the exercise of His will, He brought us forth by the word of truth, so that we would be a kind of first fruits among His creatures.

So from these verses we see that God has saved us because of His desire to do so and not because of anything we would or wouldn’t do, no matter what our feelings say. You and I have responded to Him and His offer, but we certainly didn’t do anything to save ourselves, and we certainly cannot do anything to keep it. We know this because it says that we are His workmanship, which means that He is the one doing the work to make us into what He wants so that we can be an example to others of His grace and love. If you and I had any hand in doing it or even had to woo Him, then we would be able to boast, and it wouldn’t be from God as a gift. That doesn’t mean that we don’t need to fight sin and want to please God, but we understand that our behaviors and our feelings, good or bad, don’t determine His love for us. 

The only thing that you and I need to do is walk in the good works or deeds that God has prepared for us to do in His strength, which are simply the opportunities that God gives us to live out our gifts and His calling in our lives. This is going to look different for all of us, but what it’s not going to be for any of us is a way to earn God’s favor, love, or forgiveness. See, unlike what I was doing with my Dad when I was cutting that grass, you will never have to question Gods love for you because He demonstrated His love for you on that cross, before you and I could ever do anything that was even remotely good. If you are a child of God, then you are His child forever, and you will never have to waste your time cutting wet grass to know that truth. 

Romans 5:10 says: For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.

If you are here today and you don’t know Jesus, please stop running. Jesus died for you, and there is absolutely nothing you can do to save yourself. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to the Father but through me.” That means there is nothing you can do to earn it, and it’s only through His shed blood that you can be saved. Repent and turn to Jesus today.