Justified by Jesus Christ

"Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified." Galations 2:16. 

Sometimes I intently focus on keeping the law to follow Christ, and therefore resort to "grading" myself on what I've kept or not. However, this verse vacates any benefit from justifying yourself through "works of the law". We are justified by Christ only, and it is nothing in ourselves. I once heard someone say, "If we focus on the law, we are focusing on sin; whereas if we focus on the Spirit, our focus is on Christ" - thereby, directing our focus and thoughts upward. This doesn't mean the law is bad as it is what brings us to repent, recognizing our place, before Christ. However, we are no longer slaves to the law - we are freed from it's curse of death and we can look to Christ for guidance and direction, remembering that He died to reconcile us to Himself. He wants our hearts - a relationship with us. Not a set of good deeds, in exchange for a pat on the back in keeping them. Our focus can change. It's not about what we can or can't do, but about following the One Who gave everything to save us, and Who loves us unconditionally. And when we look up, we will want to follow Him, He will help us keep the law through Him, and we will see our justification comes from Him, and Him only.