As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)

My love language is “Words of Encouragement.”

Kelsey and I read the “Five Love Languages” shortly after we were married.

“The Five Love Languages” might as well have read me, because “Words of Encouragement” describes how I feel most loved to a “t.”

I like when someone compliments me, or praises me for a job well done. I like getting high-fived and I like when I am recognized for hard work. I live for kudos. In fact, part of what makes me want to do anything is the thought there may be an outside chance I get recognized for accomplishing whatever it is.

Whether it is the predominant way we feel loved, or if it is not quite the thing that drives us, doing something to somehow earn us the praise of our peers and loved ones is a part of all of us. I think each of us is driven by two things: to know, and to be known. We want to understand the way the world works, and we want to be recognized by the world we work in.

Whether you agree with me on that idea or not, our culture is performance-driven. From the time we step foot into 1st grade until our most recent annual review, our performance determines how far we get, how much influence we have, how much money we make.

The problem with this is, for people like me, we sometimes let our performance and our achievements dictate our value and our worth. The money we earn, the car we drive, isn’t just reflective of the job we do, it is reflective of us, period. How we look, how we dress, what college we went to, and what people think of us are more than just characteristics, it becomes synonymous with our worth.

This is not to say that accomplishments are somehow bad, or even that they aren’t incredibly important. It is to say that there is a difference between taking pride in what we do and worshipping it. When we spend our lives frantically propping up our image or reputation, trying to do it all, and do it all well, we start to let what we do consume us.

Life becomes an endless cycle of earning and proving and management and controlling that leads us to where we can’t even see past our our own nose. This culture of performance based living can cause us to live in a constant state of anxiety, fear, jealousy and resentment, until we end up trusting no one and our only comfort is the hollow whispers of our own ego.

And this is probably why grace is so hard for our culture to understand. Grace does not have to be earned. It does not have to be bought. It does not care about status or money or how many bedrooms your house has. It is pure. It is unadulterated. It is 200-proof, and it is intoxicating. It does not care if you cussed this morning or cheated on your spouse twenty years ago. It does not give credence to your age or your occupation.

Grace is easy. It is light. This is the way Jesus described his burden.

But our culture, even the church, has a way of making grace so heavy.

Our life becomes about more. Pray more, care more about unbelievers, read the Bible more, get involved in church more, and love my wife and kids more. The more things we are told we need to do more the thinner we become.

So many of us operate out of this thin place. This place is heavy. It is hard.

But Jesus didn’t die so you would have to do more. He didn’t die to make you feel guilty when you don’t do enough. He died because he is enough for whoever you are and whatever you have done. He died because he loves you.

Which is where the scripture found in Matthew 3:16-17 comes in.

These are words God spoke about his son after Jesus was baptized. Before he had done a thing in his earthly ministry.

If Jesus.

Who had infinite power and potential. Who carried the most important calling and mission in history. Who did so much in His lifetime that John would later say that the world could not contain the books describing it.

If he had his Father’s acceptance before he did a single thing in His earthly life to obtain it, what makes you think you have to turn your life around before you can come back to God? What makes you think you have to impress God with your prayers or your spirituality before He will impart His grace to you?

What makes you think you have to do things to get God to like you, much less love you?

You may have spent a lifetime trying to achieve something that Jesus already achieved for you.

God’s acceptance isn’t based on your performance.

I believe God wanted to tell you today, Stop striving for what is already yours. Start receiving what is already done. And simply be unburdened.

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