12 Percent

The ad said: “Now with 12% more cereal than our previous 16.25 ounce cereal.”

Wow, I immediately thought. I’m definitely going to buy this cereal because I see that it has 12% more cereal now!

(Note the sarcasm, folks.)

It’s hard not to laugh out loud at this, isn’t it? The box of cereal literally stated that like it was announcing a victory. If the claim was trying to get me excited, it failed miserably. (If the cereal had had a coupon on the box, I would’ve gotten excited.)

My mom didn’t go to the store, hoping to get Lucky Charms and end up with Special K Chocolaty Delight because it noted its 12% increase in cereal. She went to the store, hoping to buy Special K Chocolaty Delight. She wanted to buy it, whether it gave her 12% more cereal or not.

Isn’t this what we’ve done? With God, I mean. Before we were saved, we may have told God, “Oh, look! I’ve gotten so much better at ____!” Or maybe we said, “Look what I can do now!”

But God knew what we had done. And He didn’t take that into account when He sent His Son to save us. Jesus came to earth, planning to purchase our sins. In fact, He began the world, knowing He would purchase our sins.

He didn’t see how much we’d improved and then decide we were acceptable to redeem. Our “improvements” were like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). Our good deeds didn’t matter.

For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our wrongdoings, like the wind, take us away. (Isaiah 64:6 NASB)

I just wanted to remind you that God loves us because of His compassion and grace, not because we made improvements (because we really didn’t make any). Sometimes we forget why we were saved. We get lost in today and don’t think upon our salvation of yesterday.

Never forget. Never lose sight of the incredible grace of God.

Remember that your “12% increase” in good deeds or kindness or love was worth nothing. Zilch. Zip.

God’s immeasurable love for you is worth everything.

Your salvation wasn’t based on you.

The sooner we realize this the better (and if you’re saved, then you already have).

Hold on to the fact that your salvation wasn’t based on you. You didn’t earn it. You can’t lose it.

Remember why you were saved. It’s the most important thing you can remember.