Do you ever feel like, no matter how hard you try you just can’t measure up? Paul tells us in Galatians 5:1, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourself be burdened again with a yoke of slavery.”

Many people think this is referring to the Mosaic Law, and that the Law of Moses has no relevance for us today (that discussion is for another day!). But there is another, subtle and insidious kind of law that plagues many Christians called the “Law of More”.

The Law of More is the belief, “if I only prayed more, only read the Bible more, only served more, only gave more… then I would be closer to God”. It sounds true enough, but is it really true? No, you are not saved or made more acceptable to God by your efforts. If you are trying to check all the right boxes to get close to God you can only fail!

Grace is often defined as “unmerited favor”. Grace is simply the open door into God’s favor made possible by the work of Jesus Christ on the Cross. If you’ve put your faith and trust in Christ, and you give your heart to Him, to love Him and your desire is to please Him, then guess what? He is pleased! He loves you, and He will teach you how to grow through your loving obedience, which He is teaching you as you listen to and follow this desire to know Him. It is free from guilt, but is full of longing!

Someone once said, “It is impossible to satisfy God, but it is easy to please Him”! God’s standard is perfection, and if we try to be perfect we will always fall short of satisfying or meeting God’s standard. But, if by faith you reach out to God and believe He will work His ways in you by His Spirit, this is faith, and that alone can truly please God!