Condemnation is being given an identity based on our performance. Paul looked at his performance and cringed. He had given in. His renewed resolve and good intentions failed. Again. And now he hears his performance yelling out his identity – “wretch” (Romans 7:15-24).

Paul Zahl says it this way in his book Who Will Deliver Us:

“If I do enough of the right things, I will have established my value. Identity is the sum of my achievements…In Christian theology, such a position is called justification by works. It assumes my worth is measured by my performance. Conversely, it conceals a dark and ghastly fear: If I do not perform, I will be judged unworthy.”

We use other words than “wretch” when our performance condemns and pastes an identity on us. Loser. Failure. Fake. Unworthy. Different words but we discover the same dilemma—we can never perform our way out of condemnation. The good news of the gospel is our identity is now based on the performance of Jesus. It is grace alone that changes the wretch into a saint.

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When I live a performance-driven Christian life…

• I build my identity on my performance and my accomplishments…not around the identity God has given me.
• I enslaved to pleasing people…being a people-pleaser and a God-pleaser are inseparable.
• I live with anxiety and fear – that God won’t be pleased with my performance…that He is sitting in judgement of me.
• I never enjoy acceptance for who I am – only for what I do. I have to accomplish something before I can be someone.
• I must always strive for perfectionism – so God will approve of me.
• I have to create my own righteousness – by my performance.
• I see God in a conditional relationship with me – meet the standard or else.
• I feel relationally detached from God – I have not met the friendship standard.
• I obey to protect myself – from God’s disappointment and rejection.
• I always allow my shame to define me – I never live up to God’s standard of approval. I am a disappointment to him…every day.
• I hide my spiritual failures – at least you won’t be disappointed with me. Now I am a fake.
• I live with regret for not doing better and trying harder. Perfection does not allow excuses.
• I will always be exhausted. I can never rest in what Jesus has already done for me.

One of the life-changing lessons I learned from my burnout and depression is the Gospel eliminates performance as the basis of my relationship with God. I love Brennan Manning’s life message that God loves us just as we are…not as we should be. Does this mean I don’t put effort into maturing spiritually? Of course not. But it does mean I can go to bed tonight knowing I am totally loved…totally accepted.

QUESTION: What are your bullet points? What would you add? Share them with us?

ACTION: Check out the “Monday Quotes.” There will be new ones every Monday about laying down the performance-driven Christian life and living in the freedom of the gospel. I won’t send you an email reminder about new quotes because you already get enough email! You might bookmark this site so you can easily check what is waiting for you at the beginning of each week.

 

Performance driven Christians live in a continual state of anxiety and fear. How? By hurrying. We have so much to accomplish so God is pleased with us we push the accelerator to the floor. We live by the lie that busyness equals importance…that my accomplishments create my identity and my value to God lies in my usefulness.

I learned the hard way the destructiveness of busyness. Here are three lessons living at warp speed taught me. I have more I will share later.

• Busyness is the enemy of my soul. Lance Witt says, “You can’t live life at warp speed without warping your soul.” Not only do I desperately need time with God, Jesus wants time with me. He tells me he no longer knows me as his servant, but as his friend. He has made a fire on the beach and wants me to come sit with him (John 21), and just “Be still and know I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

• Busyness is the enemy of friendship. Hurry always hurts relationships. Always. Hurry is a “Hi, how are you” without stopping where you are going. Hurry is texting while listening. Hurry is scheduling five minutes between appointments. It’s not building in a buffer to have time for people. It creates resentment. It demeans and hurts. Hurry believes there is no meaning in the present, only in the next thing I have to do for God.

• Busyness is the enemy of love. A common closing blessing in many churches is taken from Numbers 6:26, “The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” This means he takes time to stop and look right at us…full in the face. He takes time to pay attention…to our joys, our hurts, our concerns, our anxieties. In His stopping we know we are important – we are loved…and in His stopping we find peace.

“God takes the time to do everything right – everything” (Isaiah 30:18, The Message). May we do the same.

QUESTION: Where do you need to slow down? How will you do that? Is there someone you need to turn your face toward?

ACTIONS: Become a part of our blog family and become a subscriber – it will help you slow down. Then share this with a busy friend.

NEW!  Starting this coming Monday, visit my “Monday Quotes” page. I’ll share with you the best of the best quotes I have journaled over the years that help me live in the freedom of the gospel and that I regularly take time to review.