All the man-made religions of the world teach you how to improve your zeal and your work to make yourself right before God. This turns into an endless treadmill of working harder with more zeal to overcome your sins. Jesus Christ defeated the treadmill, and he wants to give you the victory. Don’t fall victim to these fails.
So I’ve discovered this truth: Evil is present with me even when I want to do what God’s standards say is good. I take pleasure in God’s standards in my inner being. However, I see a different standard [at work] throughout my body. It is at war with the standards my mind sets and tries to take me captive to sin’s standards which still exist throughout my body. What a miserable person I am! Who will rescue me from my dying body? (Romans 7:21-24)
What can we say that we have discovered about our ancestor Abraham? If Abraham had God’s approval because of something he did, he would have had a reason to brag. But he could not brag to God about it. (Romans 4:1-2)
God showed that Christ is the throne of mercy where God’s approval is given through faith in Christ’s blood. In his patience God waited to deal with sins committed in the past. (Romans 3:25)
God’s approval is revealed in this Good News. This approval begins and ends with faith as Scripture says, “The person who has God’s approval will live by faith.” (Romans 1:17)
God had Christ, who was sinless, take our sin so that we might receive God’s approval through him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
As a result, no one can brag in God’s presence. You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our righteousness, our holiness, and our ransom from sin. As Scripture says, “Whoever brags must brag about what the Lord has done.” (1 Corinthians 1:29-31)
Even a God-fearing. church-going. Christian can be a victim of the treadmill. If your doctrine makes you feel guilty for not doing more, not donating more time, not donating more money, not going more often, then you have probably been trapped on the treadmill. If after doing all these things, you still fall short of the goal, then you have probably been trapped on the treadmill. Come to Jesus Christ who is victorious over the treadmill. Let him take you off the treadmill.