¹² But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God, to those who believe in his name,  ¹³  who were born not by natural generation nor by human choice nor by a man’s decision but of God.

John 1

We do not gain access to heaven through our own efforts

There is nothing we can do to become acceptable to Him. Nothing. Eternal life is a free gift, unearned and undeserved, a gift from God himself. It is not our talents, our wisdom, or hard work, our good heart, or good deeds… None of that is good enough. Life as a child of God is a gift and a miracle.

We are children of God, able to walk freely into the presence of our Father, the Creator of the universe, simply because He has accepted us in spite of ourselves. This is the peace of the Gospel! It is all him! We did nothing to earn it so we can not lose it. We can rest at peace each night knowing that no matter how badly we messed up, we are children of a holy God who accepts us. He loves us and forgives us daily.

We can stop trying to measure up, to use willpower and self help methods, to be strong. None of that matters! All we need is to rest in His peace, keep our eyes on Him, and trust that He will finish what He started. It’s all Him and none of us! That is Peace! We are His, safe in His hands, safe from our own past and present, safe from every enemy. We can be at peace.

To find such peace today, just stop trying. Give it all to Jesus and wait on Him. He is faithful to bring us into the presence of our Creator, into His glory, washed clean of our past, forgiven just because He loves you.