Why Your Life Is Different Now Because of Jesus
Photo by Tim Wildsmith
Somewhere deep in your heart, do you feel like God’s love for you comes with a price tag? And if you aren’t willing to pay the price, He might love you a little less?
Maybe you wouldn’t use those exact words, but you’re familiar with the pressure to do all the right things, in all the right ways. You don’t give yourself room to fall short or make mistakes. Mistakes are for “other people.”
Some of us live our entire lives that way—with this quiet but constant concern that we may or may not be doing well in our relationship with God.
That’s a heavy weight to bear. And it’s thoroughly unnecessary.
Every believer in Jesus falls short. All of us do. We say dumb things and make unwise decisions. We sin and mess up. Even the apostle Paul called himself the “worst of sinners.” He wrote a considerable portion of the Bible—yet he knew he fell short.
That’s one reason God’s love is beautiful and constant and amazing. It endures all things and keeps going strong even in the face of our many, many failures.
Let’s talk about why you NEVER need to be afraid of falling short again.
What Happened on Easter?
On Sunday we celebrated Easter: the day everything changed for humanity—past, present, and future.
Jesus paid the price we could not pay, no matter how hard we tried, and He paid it forever. He did the heavy lifting, and now we get to walk in His freedom.
Why can you live without the fear of making mistakes and falling short? Because of what He did:
But He was pierced for our offenses,
He was crushed for our wrongdoings;
The punishment for our well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds we are healed.
All of us, like sheep, have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the Lord has caused the wrongdoing of us all
To fall on Him. (Isa. 53:5–6 NASB)
Within that passage is every way you could fall short.
Even when you choose to step off of God’s path, He doesn’t condemn you or write you off—He took care of it. You are safe inside Jesus, and He covers you completely (Rom. 8:1). His forgiveness is HUGE and it’s big enough for you.
You have only well-being now.
You have only healing now.
Every time you “go your own way,” the blood of Jesus is there.
There is no punishment left for you.
You are safe with God all the time, even when you are less than perfect. When your performance is shoddy. When you get mad or say something petty.
Yes, sin is a serious thing—but so is the forgiveness of God. Go talk to Him about the things you’re worried about, and realize the blood of Jesus is bigger than all your shortcomings.
Don’t believe the enemy when he tells you lies. Jesus paid the price, and you don’t have to pay it.
But if we freely admit our sins when his light uncovers them, he will be faithful to forgive us every time. God is just to forgive us our sins because of Christ, and he will continue to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 TPT)
Journaling God’s Heart for You
Speak Isaiah 53:5–6 out loud over your life, but change the pronouns and make the passage personal for you:
He was pierced for my offenses.
He was crushed for my wrongdoings.
The punishment for my well-being was laid upon Him,
And by His wounds I am healed.
I have gone astray many times.
I have often turned to my own way,
But the Lord has caused my wrongdoing to fall on Him.
The Lord took your sins Himself. That’s how “gone” they are. Journal what Isaiah 53:5–6 means to your heart. What is He saying to you through that passage? How has He set you free from the ways you might fall short?
Activation for This Week
This week, every time you feel like you’re not doing enough or like you can’t measure up to what God wants, stop your thoughts/emotions in their tracks and declare Isaiah 44:22 over yourself:
I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to me,
for I have paid the price to set you free. (NLT)
With that verse in mind—pray. Your prayer could go something like this:
“Isaiah 44:22 is true about me! He has swept away my sins like a cloud. He has completely scattered and dissolved my offenses against Him. Lord, I don’t want to listen to fear and shame any longer. Those things are not mine because Jesus set me free forever. Now I live according to the precious freedom of God.”
Then go in peace, beloved child of God—hand in hand with Him. He treasures you, just as you are.
If you’re struggling to believe God loves you, could we pray for you? One of the main reasons this ministry exists is so we can help people connect with God’s love for them. Click the button below.
Your heavenly Father loves you more than you realize. Check out these other devotions:
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