Ephes. 2:8-9: For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For many of you, your understanding of God and how to get to heaven was "You better be good or you will go to hell." Many, but not all, of our church experiences have been motivated by guilt and fear. Those reading this have been involved in athletics also understand the power of motivation by guilt and fear!...Produce or get out! Produce or be an embaressment to the whole team!
Well, based on the verses above, and others in the New Testament, our position in Christ is not based on our good works, but rather his death, ressurection and grace. By faith we are pulled to the cross and rest there only. Our condition may change, But out position in Christ is secure.
Meditate On This!
Do you still battle with what God requires to get into heaven? Read Romans 8:9-10, and 1 John 5: 12-13. It is a sure thing if you have true faith in Jesus and His work on the cross.
If you do understand the sealing of the Holy Spirit and the inheritance you have in Jesus, (Ephesians 1) how does it effect how you live your life? Do you take eternal salvation forgranted? Do you say "thanks" and then live your life the way you want? Salvation is not about intelect or emotion, but a matter of giving of your will to what He did and making Him Lord. Our motivation to serve is not out of guilt or fear. For followers of Jesus, it is now about "walking in a manner worthy of the call." Remember, we are to "work out", not "work for" our salvation!
Something else to think about!
This is almost overwhelming when you think about it. You MUST read to the end: (smile)
Moses and the people were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed, and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food.
According to the Quartermaster General in the Army, it is reported that Moses would have to have had 1500 tons of food each day. Do you know that to bring that much food each day, two freight trains, each at least a mile long, would be required! Besides you must remember, they were out in the desert, so they would have to have firewood to use in cooking the food. This would take 4000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, just for one day. And just think, they were forty years in transit.
And Oh yes! They would have to have water. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11,000,000 gallons each day and a freight train with tank cars, 1800 miles long, just to bring water!
And then another thing!
They had to get across the Red Sea at night. Now, if they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So there had to be a space in the Red Sea, 3 miles wide so that they could walk 5000 abreast to get over in one night.
But then, there is another problem...each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds the size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles long...think of it! This much space for camping.
Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed in God. God took care of these things for him. Now do you think God has any problem taking care of all your needs?
I asked the Lord to bless you . To guide you and protect you as you go along your way...His love is always with you, His promises are true, And when we give Him all our cares, You know He will see us through.
Our God is an Awesome God!!
Sent to me by J. Burnette
Titus 3:5: He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit . . . "
In his book, Illustrations of Bible Truth, H. A. Ironside included the story of a new convert who gave his testimony during a church service. With a smile on his face and joy in his heart, the man related how he had been delivered from a life of sin. He gave the Lord all the glory saying nothing about any of his own merits or what he had done to deserve the blessing of redemption. The person in charge, who was very legalistic, didn,t fully appreciate the reality of salvation by grace through faith alone apart from Him in works. So he responded to the young man,s comments by saying, "You seem to indicate that God did everything when He saved you. Didn,t you do your part before God did His?" The new Christian jumped to his feet and said, "Oh, yes I did. For more than 30 years I ran away from God as fast as my sins could carry me. That was my part. But God took out after me and ran me down. That was His part." Commenting on this testimony, Ironside wrote, "It was well put and tells the story that every redeemed sinner understands."
Meditate On This!
Testimonies are important, but realize that the purpose of testimonies is to bring glory to God. I love the story above and will probably steal the punch line. How about you? Have you ever written out your testimony? Maybe you have and it has become "old hat" as you have spoken it to various groups. Maybe it is time to refresh it and put in there more about Him than you. Meditate on how God would want you to give Him glory through the testimony of how He brought you into a relationship with Him.
II Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all."
Recently I watched the Mets do something that not many teams do on a regular basis. A sharp one-hop bullet was fielded by John Olerud at first, and he immediately fired to second base to force the runner out. The return throw got the hitter at first, and then John fired home to get a sliding Barry Bonds at the plate . . . A TRIPLE PLAY! It was a thing of beauty for any baseball enthusiast to see! Doesn't happen every day.
The above scripture shows us three things that are also pretty amazing when we think of the love of God. First, we have the forgiveness of sins through our Lord Jesus Christ. The second great benefit of redemption is the reception of God's love. The third benefit of redemption is the "communion of the Holy Spirit."
Meditate On This!
The schedules of life can keep us so focused on tasks that we forget the great truths mentioned in this passage. Forgiveness means freedom from penalty - love gives us our sense of worth to a Holy God - and the giving of the Holy Spirit allows us to function with, and for, God in the arenas He has placed us. This week, consider the great benefits from the gracious call of God to Himself.
