May 16

I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps. — Jer 10:23 BSB

As we are united to Jesus Christ as our Redeemer, we are accepted in the Beloved. He doesn’t just take our place and settle our debts—He does that and more. He comes to show us the perfect ideal of what a person should be. But rather than asking us to imitate Him, which would lead to discouragement and failure, He comes to live His life in us. If Christ lives in me, I am another Christ. I am not merely like Him, I have His very mind. Christ Himself is in me.

This is the foundation of Christian holiness and divine healing. Christ is developing a perfect life within us. Some say that no one can ever be perfect, and it’s true that without Christ we are all failures. But God provides for our failures, lifting us above them by His grace. We must give up our best efforts, along with our worst failures, and take Him instead. It’s hard to let go of even our "good," but we need divine impulses in place of our best efforts.