Enjoy the Time

Some parents feel silly reading to or playing with their children. In order to show them how important these interactions are to children, researchers from New York University School of Medicine videotaped parents playing with their children. After the interactions, the researchers would play back the video and point out how much their children enjoyed the interaction. Children who received this type of attention improved in their behavior.

God cares about our behavior, but it is not the basis for our salvation. Even if we put a lifetime of grueling effort into performing righteously, we would still need to rely on Christ’s death and His perfect life. The prophet Isaiah has one of the most memorable expressions of this point: “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; we all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away” (Isaiah 64:6).

Isaiah understood that even our best behavior cannot accomplish our salvation. To God it is not pretty. It means that we must rely on God to make us into truly beautiful people. It also means that we can see how much God loved us in sending Jesus to take our place in life and death: “But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption” (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Led by this knowledge, we can enjoy our interactions with God, knowing that we are not striving to be pleasing enough to Him, but rather are being transformed because we know how much He loves us. It is when we rely on Jesus’ faith, righteousness, and relationship with God that we can enjoy our own interactions with God.

Apply It:

Take time to read a book to a child this week.

Dig Deeper:

Daniel 9:7; Romans 3:23; Isaiah 53:6

Key Bible Texts

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: (Romans 3:10 KJV)