The Grace Street Blog

“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” – Romans 10:1

I can often be an extremist in regards to how I discipline myself or the way I force my mind to think. Sometimes it is what helps me break bad habits, but other times, it only ends up building potentially worse ones.

Back in my freshman year of college, I realized how recklessly I spent money. Over time I became much more intentional, which eventually turned thrifting into my go-to weekend activity.

At first, I was convinced I had overcome my shopping addiction and no longer looked at material things with such a hunger. And although I can confidently say I have come a long way, I recently found myself experiencing a whole new problem.

Every morning before work, I would sigh and brace myself for the pain I knew I was going to endure because between the 4 or so “work shoe” options I have, they all absolutely kill my feet. As a teacher who must walk an ungodly amount of steps everyday, this has been brutal.

I got lucky one day about two years ago and found a pair of loafers that fit me decently at the thrift store for $9, and ever since then, I have been convinced that I would be irresponsible to buy a fresh new pair that actually supported my feet. I took so much pride in what I thought was a humble way to live.

That was until I realized how often I began sitting on a desk and having my students come to me towards the end of each day. No one forces teachers to walk constantly, but student engagement changes when you stop moving around the room. And it was at that point that I knew I had to suck it up and get better ground support for the sake of how I treated these kids.

I was reading a book that quoted T.S Eliot’s statement saying, “The last temptation that’s the greatest treason is to do the right thing for the wrong reason.”

In church, I have heard a lot of people encourage a “humble life”. Though some have described it differently, the most common points I hear is that our money and material things should not be used recklessly or for our own greed. Instead, we ought to consider who we could bless with those resources.

Having heard that from so many people, I started creating margin to specifically devote towards giving to those in need. This started off great, but if I am honest, it began creating a great problem deeper within me. My mind was no longer focused on who I could bless or how, but rather the action of setting that portion aside to simply say “I did it”.

As I mentioned, I can be an extremist and quite tough on myself regarding disciplines. With this way of living, it became so easy to look at others with disappointment as I saw dollars upon dollars wasted on random material things.

But today, I went into work for the first time with my new shoes I got this weekend. I would be lying if I didn’t say I felt a little bad at first. Yet truly, I could feel the effects of a good foundation throughout the entire day and within my whole body. I did not sit in my chair or on a desk at all until every class was completed.

I had so much joy, not in the new shoes (despite how cute I think they are) but in the ability I had to walk around all day and be so much more patient and responsive to my students than I have been in a while.

God cares about how we serve Him. He sees the sacrifices we make for Him every day. But He can also see our heart’s true intention. The longer I waited, hoping to find shoes I could claim “I thrifted” that could support me doing the work God called me to do, the greater my pride grew and the greater distance formed between my understanding of humility and the truth of good zeal for the Lord.

In Romans 10, we see the distress of Paul as he longs for Israel to recognize what really matters. Yes, works are good and should be evident in a believers life, but it is not what saves us. It does not make us any better than another nor does it in itself bring us closer to God. It only creates a space where we can express our love for Him and through that, become more open to letting the Spirit move in and through us.

Verses 2-3 say, “For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness of God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”

Paul is warning against the belief that our efforts and good works can somehow earn the salvation only God can give. As he previously stated in chapter 3, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So none of us, according to the Law have the slightest chance to be redeemed. Only though faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord, can we find true, eternal salvation.

My dear friend, would we not get so caught up in the way we live because we think it makes us more of a “Christian”. But rather, would every breath, thought, and action be an outpouring of a love so deep for God within us. The way of Jesus is not about outward appearances or saying you lived in the most “humble” manner. No, instead, our lives should end with one name remembered and praised. May our intentions be honest and may the legacy of Christ over ourselves be what we long to leave behind.

Thoughts to Consider:

What “good” things may you be doing for not so good reasons?

Where have you seen the damage of wrong intentions ruin certain things in your life?

How can you assess your heart’s desire behind every good work you do?

Consider the deeper joy your could cultivate and share when your heart is set on magnifying Christ over your personal discipline or good works.

“Brothers and sisters, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved.” – Romans 10:1