You’ve Already Got It! – Why Trying to Earn God’s Love Is like Buying a Pet Rock

Around 1975, a man named Gary Dahl was listening to his friends complain about their pets. This gave him the idea for the perfect “pet”: a rock. Think about it, a rock doesn’t need to be fed, walked, bathed, or groomed. It would not die, become sick, or be disobedient. He said they were to be the perfect pets, and joked about it with his friends. What a wild idea!

According to the Huffington Post, “The idea of the ‘Pet Rock’ quickly became a pop culture phenomenon and made him a millionaire.”  This goofy creation went bananas and made him millions. His friends and family probably told him, “Gary, come back to earth, you don’t have any clue what you’re talking about.” But instead, those little rocks made history.

It’s easy to look back and think, who would pay for a rock? Yet many people did just that. This story reminds me of a spiritual truth. I believe, as believers, too many times the devil tries to make us pay for the things we already have.

The enemy will try to get you to pay for your forgiveness saying, “If you only pray more, God will forgive you.” We try to earn God’s love thinking, “If only I had not done that one sin, God would love me.” They are like a dog chasing it’s tail. Round and round we go trying to pay for what God has already done.

Many people live under a cloud of unworthiness. They feel condemned because they don’t deserve God’s love. The truth is that this is the purpose of grace. It is given for people who don’t deserve it. It is not about doing enough things to earn God’s love. It is about knowing that the reason Jesus went to the Cross was because He loves us.

At the Cross Jesus cried out, “It is finished.” (John 19:30). God has already paid for your sins, so stop trying to pay for them yourself. We already have everything we need to succeed in life through Christ. God has already forgiven, healed, and blessed us. Like the story of the Pet Rock, stop trying to pay for the things you already have.