Jesus and Jesus Alone

Gò0dNews for Men

Jesus and Jesus Alone

by Greg Grotewold

Ican still recall as if it were yesterday. I couldn’t eat and was anxious to get going, for I wasn’t able to think about anything else. I put my baseball uniform on and headed over to my coach’s house to catch a ride. Not only did I have a game that night, but it was my turn to pitch. The rotation required that I take the mound every other week, which meant my nerves were working overtime every other week. I wasn’t nervous about having to pitch; I was nervous because I knew that in order for me to be pleased with my performance, I would need to do something I had not done all season. It wasn’t enough to win the game; success demanded that I pitch a no-hitter. And as had happened all summer, I failed. Even though we won the game and I got a “w” under my name, I gave up not only a couple of hits, but in fact a run. I was crushed. And as had happened all summer, I spent the balance of the week both sulking over the bitter defeat and constantly replaying in my head the pitch sequence to each of the batters who got on base. You would have thought I had blown Game 7 of the World Series. I’m a recovering perfectionist. The problem wasn’t that I wanted to play well; the problem was how I defined what “well” meant. I saw no difference between it and perfection; in my mind, they were one in the same. It wasn’t until Jesus entered my life that I began to recognize not only how destructive such striving was but also how unnecessary. The Lord showed me that I was using baseball (and the myriad of other aims that received my exacting energy) as a means by which to fill a more profound need. There was no way the sport and my ability to perform it could ever possibly deliver on the expectations I carried. Even if I had pitched a perfect game, I still would have been left unsatisfied and for one very good reason. I was seeking something that was designed to be met by Jesus and Jesus alone. That something was acceptance. Only He could provide the type of approval for which my heart longed. And when I decided to surrender my will for His, that’s exactly what I received. With tender mercy, Jesus began pouring out His unadulterated love upon my frustrated soul. He embraced me with a care that left no doubt I was not only accepted by Him but adored. Adored! The Lord loves and likes me. He delights being in my presence. “The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing” (Zephaniah 3:17, ESV).

This is staggering given I didn’t do anything particularly special to deserve such treatment. In fact, I did nothing, which was the whole point Jesus was trying to impress upon me. He wanted me to stop striving, stop performing; He wanted me to be still and simply abide in Him. “Stop stiving and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, NASB). The Lord desired my heart, not my sacrifice. “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings” (Hosea 6:6, ESV).

None of this outpouring of grace would have been possible without Calvary. Jesus died my death, and I took on His robe of righteousness (Romans 4:5). Because of the Son’s perfecting work on the cross, the Father now counts me as perfectly righteous. “For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14, ESV). When the Father looks at me, He doesn’t see Greg and his brokenness; He sees Jesus and His holiness. Simply amazing.

Immeasurable in mercy, unparalleled in power, irreproachable in purity, immutable in character, unrivaled in tenderness, and irrepressible in joy, Jesus is the very embodiment of the perfection I had long sought. And I gained what I was seeking at the very moment I relinquished any effort to secure it. I became perfect when I abandoned my need to be perfect and yielded to the One who is.

May we find our acceptance in Jesus and Jesus alone. His is the only approval truly worth pursuing.

About The Author Greg Grotewold lives in Oakdale, MN, with his wife, Sandi, and their two sons, Luke and Eli. He is a deacon in his local church and greatly enjoys serving in this capacity.