Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
When someone first comes to Christ, life seems to come alive! It’s like the song “Come Alive” from the movie The Greatest Showman. Everything is new and exciting, but fast forward a few years and some of these Christians can be as miserable as the next unsaved person!
Their life has regressed and once again resembles the song “Come Alive” but it’s not the chorus, it's the verses.
You stumble through your days, Got your head hung low
Your skies' a shade of grey, Like a zombie in a maze
You're asleep inside…'Cause you're just a dead man walking
Jesus has called us to reign in this life, so why are these Christians miserable and like a “dead man walking”? It's because they have been trying to “fix themselves".
Many Christians have been taught that if there is something not right with their Christian life it is because of them – they must be doing something wrong. So they better discover what it is and fix it! They will go to conferences, buy books, listen to podcasts to discover the secret steps to fix their situation.
But if you go down this route, you will never find what you are looking for.
The truth you are looking for is not found in steps or principles where you can apply them and then fix yourself (that’s called “self-help”). It is found in your relationship with Jesus and believing that He has done everything for you. As you simply behold the glory of the Lord as looking into a mirror, you will be transformed into His image by the Spirit of God. (2 Corinthians 3:18) The problem with “self-help” is you start getting all the glory and Jesus becomes less and less. But when you become conscious of what Jesus has done for you, He gets all the glory for the change that is taking place within you.
When His grace becomes established in your heart, joy and peace begin to spill over in your life.
I recall after preaching grace for 12 months my own wife, son and leaders started commenting on how I have been changing – becoming more peaceful, joyful, gracious, kind… I wasn’t even aware until others started pointing it out. This is what will happen to you. Grace starts transforming you and you are not aware until others start pointing it out!
God’s purpose for your life is not sending His Son to the cross so you can then start fixing yourself. No! It's letting Jesus do everything for you by being conscious every day of His finished work and then seeing the work of His Spirit changing you.
Being conscious of Jesus' redeeming work on the cross is what it means to “behold” or “look” unto Jesus.