Christian Burnout Is A Sign You’re Missing The Gospel
Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.
You never had to read a book to learn how to be lost. It was natural. It was your default. You were comfortably lost—without effort, without striving.
And then you met Jesus.
But somehow, the joy of salvation became buried under pressure: Try harder. Do better. Live holy. Make God proud.
You picked up a kettlebell, and since then, your hope is "one day in Heaven" because trying to be good is wearing you out. But here’s the truth:
Jesus did not come to help you live a Christian life.
He came to be your life.
The Great Misunderstanding
You are programmed for failure when you try to be “a good person.”
When you make the Christian life about you, it will bring you to despair. It produces nothing but an inner sense of condemnation and "I am not good enough."
That’s because you're trying to do what only "Christ in you" can do.
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20, NIV)
You don’t need to try harder. You need to recognize what already happened: You died.
“For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:6-7, NIV)
And now, the life you live is not Christ helping you live, but Christ being your life.
Christianity Is Not About Trying To Be A Good Person
For many, Christianity looks like:
One end: Jesus forgave my sins.
The other end: One day, I’ll go to heaven.
The middle: I’m trying to be a good person.
But Jesus didn’t promise a life of desperation and trying. He promised an abundant one.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10, ESV)
So why do we try to be good people? Because we’ve made the Christian life about us—our willpower, our performance, our worthiness.
But Jesus said, “I am the Life.”
The Spirit Reveals What Flesh Cannot
To receive the "abundant life," you need a new perspective. God's idea of abundance is so foreign to our flesh that we need the Holy Spirit to reveal it to us.
“What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.” (1 Corinthians 2:12)
God breaks through into our consciousness and reveals eternal truths not discernible in the realm of appearances. And with every “Oh, I see now!” moment, something shifts.
No More Separation
There is no longer a “God up there” and an “I am down here.” There is no striving to reach Him.
We stop asking, "How do I reach God? Give me the 5-step plan."
“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” (1 Corinthians 6:17, NIV)
God has permanently joined Himself to your spirit. Your spirit and He are one. The two operate as one unit. You are inseparable.
All God's promises suddenly cease to be pie in the sky. The invisible becomes more real than what we see.
The things of the world grow dim. The promises of God are not just for “someday.” They are for today.
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God." (2 Corinthians 1:20, NIV)
You’re not waiting for the abundant life. You have it because Christ Himself, who is in you, is your life.
Final Thoughts
God chose to eternally manifest His glory by living His life in and through a host of sons and daughters.
The Gospel isn’t about making you a better version of yourself. It’s about replacing the old you with Jesus.
He doesn’t come to improve your life. He comes to be your life.
Stop trying to be good enough. Christ now lives in you.
A Prayer for Today:
Lord,
Thank You that I don’t have to try harder.
Thank You that You are my life.
Teach me what it means to live from union, not effort.
I died with You.
And now, You live in me.
Amen.