Good morning everyone and welcome back to another mornings with the masters.

We devote ourselves to the Lord daily with you.

We're picking back up with new morning mercies,

and I'm going to take it from here.

It says this, stop trying to earn something from God.

Stop trying to gain more of his acceptance.

Stop trying to earn his favor.

Stop trying to win his allegiance.

Stop trying to do something that would pay for his blessing.

Stop trying to morally buy your way out of his anger.

Stop trying to reach a level where you will know lasting peace with him. Just stop trying. Just stop.

So many Christians load onto their shoulders a burden that they do not have to bear. They get up every morning and pick up the heavy load of trying somehow, some way to achieve something with God. They work hard to exercise what they do not have in hopes that they can

achieve what is impossible. It simply cannot work. So where does it lead? It leads

either to the scary pride of self-righteousness, a culture of

moralistic self-backslappers who have no problem judging those who have not achieved the

level of righteousness that they think they have,

or to fear and discouragement, a culture of people who don't run to God with their sin because

they're afraid of him.

Paul wipes out this distorted debilitating by her way into Grace culture

with a striking economy of words in Galatians 311.

It says this, now it is evident that no one is justified before God

by the law. It is a statement that requires no preamble and no amendment.

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