God Suffices
By thine own eternal spirit rule in all our hearts alone;
by thine all sufficient merit, raise us to thy glorious throne.
We. Cannot. Do. It. On. Our. Own. Each word is emphasized because the statement is very important to remember: We cannot do it on our own.
Do what, you might ask? The answer, quite simply, is get to heaven.
That’s right. We cannot get to heaven all on our own. That might bewilder us since we grow up thinking that we have to take care of ourselves and do everything for ourselves. We are often judged as weak if we look to others for help. But salvations? That, as they say, is way above our pay grade.
God is the only one who can raise us to the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus won the opportunity for us when He died on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day. His is the only merit that will be considered. His is the only will that will be considered. We do not earn heaven. We do not will ourselves into heaven. We cannot demand our place in heaven. It is not our right in any way, shape, or form.
Knowing that, we have a lot to do to prepare. Advent is not only a period of four weeks of preparation for the celebration of Christmas. Our entire lives are spent in an advent of sorts. Each day is a preparation for the day that God will call us to Himself. Jesus told us rather regularly in the Gospels that we had best be prepared for that thief in the night.
As you prepare for Christmas this Advent season, make sure that you are looking farther ahead than just another three weeks. Look way ahead. Look at your life and what you need to do. It will help you immensely if you allow God’s eternal spirit to rule in your heart this day.
FAITH ACTION: Knowing that God alone is enough for us, turn to Him in your need and ask Him to provide for you this day.