Even Our Best Is Not Good Enough

"Sin mingles even with our holy things, and our best repentance, faith, prayer, and thanksgiving could not be received of God were it not for the merit of the atoning sacrifice." Charles Spurgeon
How our hearts struggle's to believe this. If you bring to God your best repentance God would not receive it by itself alone. He can only receive it because of the merit of Christ's atoning sacrifice. Whatever you bring to God is mixed with sin. Your best faith, your best prayer, and your best thanksgiving would not make it past the ceiling of the room you're in unless it was washed in the atoning sacrifice of Christ. Only what Christ has done is acceptable to God. Come to God on the basis of Christ's merit alone and leave all your religious goodness behind.