The out-stretched hand of Christ

As I read through Romans,  I am amazed at the overwhelming theme of God's grace and love toward us. As Paul tried to instruct the Romans on a new faith, he was trying to show them that it is by God's grace that we can come to Him.
Do we really understand that?  I know we don't come from a society that makes sacrifices or hold rituals to earn the favor of God, but I know that I have been guilty of trying to earn God's grace through the merits that I think I can offer up to Him.  I have tried, unsuccessfully I might add, to get God's attention, His favor simply by doing all that I think He wants me to do.  And guess what.....when I fall, when I can't live up to what I think is His explanation, I feel like a loser, I feel defeated and feel like I can offer nothing to God.

That is exactly what the devil wants us to believe. That very lie is what Jesus came to destroy.  That is the very reason Jesus died on a cross.  He was the ultimate sacrifice and the perfect offering.  He took the place of all the stuff I would try to offer up to God.  It isn't good enough, but with Jesus' sacrifice, it doesn't matter...

Here is a fantastic phrase that was actually taken out of the commentary in my Bible....
"Believers are righteous( made justified) through faith and by faith, but never on account of faith. Faith is not itself our righteousness, rather it is the outstretched empty hand that receives righteousness by receiving Christ."

Isn't that a beautiful image....our outstretched EMPTY hand.  We can't do anything.  We have nothing to give. It is our empty hand that God takes and holds in His. 

If we can abandon the belief that we can do something....anything to gain the favor, grace, love and righteousness of God, then we can experience freedom.  And in freedom comes peace and power.
I think that all we can want in life can come from investing in the concept of the outstretched and empty hand