This week, I reminded some eager buyers that the first crucial step in the process was getting pre-approved by their lender. We could look at homes and they could fall in love with one, but we would ultimately hit a wall without that pre-approval, and they would end up empty-handed and discouraged.
This first-thing's-first discussion got me thinking about a bigger and even more crucial pre-approval each of us needs, not just for real estate transactions but for all of life.
To pre-qualify someone for a loan, a lender takes a broad look at income, debt, assets, employment, savings, etc. to determine whether someone is able to handle a loan, and for how much. Once the lender gives the go-ahead, the buyer is equipped to enter into a transaction under the terms of the loan.
We need spiritual pre-approval as well. Without it, we can feel like we're accomplishing things, but we are only headed for disappointment. Like that initial conversation with the lender from whom our ability to purchase a home will come, we need to approach God in the same way -- early and dependent. Without His approval and equipping of us, we are spinning our wheels in life aimlessly.
The problem for us arises, then, in our poor credit history and our insurmountable debts. Even the best of our merits brought before God cannot qualify us for His approval. In fact, it only confirms the chasm that we cannot hope to cross on our own. Thankfully, God has made a plan. He didn't merely co-sign for us, promising to step in only if we default on our own. He paid it in full from an account of endless wealth and from storehouses overflowing with assets that cannot be diminished. It is now Jesus's name on the purchase, not ours. By substituting Jesus in our place at the cross, God now sees His Son, made flesh and sinless -- the only one truly pre-qualified to fulfill the expectations of the Father. He declares us "Pre-Approved" for life and godliness.
We move forward with the strongest backing available. He waives all contingencies for us, meaning nothing can fall through based on the value or condition of what we produce. We enter "escrow," where our pursuits are kept in the custody of a third party, Jesus, whose once-for-all sacrifice continues to pay for our ongoing debt even after the deal has been closed. The gratitude that brings about in us creates a pride of ownership that is evident to all. We want to care for our life that has been bought at such a price by obeying and loving God with all of our hearts, nurturing our souls with His Word.
I'm so thankful that God provided His Son as our covering so that we in our bankrupt state can be prequalified completely in His eyes, and equipped to navigate the rough waters of life and produce what is strong and acceptable to Him. Once He has seen fit to take us upon Himself, He will never default for the sake of His own glory and His amazing love for us.
By Anne Gould
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