“You don’t need to impress him to gain his favor.”

A thought by Steven Furtick, (2016-03-01) from his book, (UN)Qualified: How God Uses Broken People to Do Big Things (p. 59). The Crown Publishing Group. Kindle Edition. (Click on the title of the book to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.)

You’ve heard the saying haven’t you, “You don’t get a second chance to make a first impression”?  It’s puts a lot of pressure on us when we meet new people doesn't it?

But with God that isn’t true.  Steven says, “When it comes to God, the word impression doesn’t apply. First impressions, second impressions, false impressions, last impressions— they are irrelevant to him because he knows the real you. He sees past the facade and recognizes you for who you really are.” 

He then says, “You don’t need to impress him to gain his favor. That’s a fallacy that haunts Christians and non-Christians alike. Often I find it lurking in the shadows of my own heart. We think we have to clean ourselves up before we draw close to God. We assume his grace and goodness and love belong only to those who have proven themselves worthy. But that’s not the message Jesus brought or the God he modeled.”

Think of this, “Look at every human soul Jesus encountered, from the disciples he handpicked, to the sinners he ate dinner with, to the thief he forgave on the cross. Jesus saw the best in people at their worst. He met them in their messes, in their realities, in their most desperate moments. He loved them and believed in them when there was nothing lovable or admirable about them. You don’t need to make a good impression on God.”

He has seen the best in you even when you and others saw the worst.  Now you don’t need to make a good impression on God.  No but as Steven says, “You do need to be honest with him. And with yourself. The answer to our identity issues is not found in ourselves. It’s found in Jesus.”

Why don’t you relax in Him and let Him have your life today?  Will you do that?