God is Not A Highway Patrol Officer

Every time I pass near a Highway Patrol car I instantly assume the officer is staring directly at me and that he's staring at me because I'm in trouble. This leads me to do a rapid self-assessment in hopes of assuaging the guilt: Am I speeding? Do I have updated registration stickers on my license plate? Did I come to a complete stop at that stop sign? Did I cut somebody off?Unfortunately, many Christians relate to God the way they relate to the Highway Patrol. They think God is constantly staring at them for all the wrong reasons. They think God is on duty in his patrol car, following close behind, in search of infractions, imperfections, and violations of the law. And so we quickly do the self-assessment, making sure we're meeting all the standards so that God doesn't pull us over and give us a ticket.The good news of the gospel is that God is not a Highway Patrol officer!Jesus has performed perfectly in our place. The perfect performance of the Son of God has permanently changed how God looks at those who trust in Him.Christian, God is indeed constantly staring at you. But his is not the stare of punishment or disappointment, it's the stare of acceptance, approval, and gladness. There's no need to do a self-assessment to assure yourself of this, instead do an immediate Jesus-assessment. Ask yourself, "what does the Father see when he looks at Jesus?" Answer: perfect righteousness.Jesus is perfect! When God the Father looks at you, he sees you covered in Jesus. Covered in Jesus! You've got Jesus all over you. You're covered in Jesus!That's what God sees when he looks at you. God is your loving Father. He sees you covered in his Son Jesus.God is not a Highway Patrol officer.