“Don’t put prayer and obedience in the place of the Cross of Christ–‘Because I have obeyed, Christ will do this, or that’; He won’t. The only way we are saved and sanctified is by the free grace of God” (Oswald Chambers, in Run Today’s Race).

I’ve been guilt of thinking that God operates on a kind of rewards program — a kind of frequent prayer club where you get points for how often you pray. Too often, I hear phrases like “well, if anyone deserves to be in heaven, it’s her” or “he’s a really good Christian.”

The only kind of Christian is a saved one. The one who checks all the boxes spiritually is in just as much of a need for grace as the one barely getting by. You’re not any more saved because you pray more, preach more, sing more, love more, or do more. God can’t love you any more than He does right now — nothing you do will make Him love you less.

The key is gratitude. Once you operate out of thankfulness rather than obligation or duty, you really start to grow and mature and be useful. We are sanctified the same way we are justified — by grace through faith. That same gospel that got us in will keep us in and keep us to the end.