When I gave my life to Christ years ago, I was not sure of what I had gotten myself into. The pastor preached a great message and the I felt the conviction of my sins piercing into me. I knew I needed the savior Christ Jesus to take over my life, and had He not done so, I would NEVER have made it to this point. From this point on now, I was moving into the unknown but as I sat in fellowship and Bible study groups, I began to gain confidence in the Word of God and understood better the story of salvation. Also my faith started to grow more each day because of hearing the Word, and listening to the testimonies of other Christians whose lives God had transformed, which placed me in a more trusting position (It was not instant growth). From there, I learned to boldly go into the presence of God by myself and to share with others about His truths... which have been made real in many lives today. As we continue to walk with our Heavenly Father, and better understand His love, we ought to experience a sense of awe which we can't help but share with others. How Loving is our God that He made a way through Jesus by way of His Grace which is all sufficient for us.
The complete story of Jesus Christ - which began before the creation of the world and continues for all eternity - is a love story whose central theme is grace; "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). The moment we believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, God looks upon us with love and welcomes us into His Family - this is His gift of Salvation! This means our Salvation is never something we earn or deserve - it is a gift of grace.
Romans 11:6
"And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace."
If we come before our Heavenly Father thinking we can do ANYTHING which makes us deserving of Salvation, then we do not yet understand His gift of forgiving grace. God's grace is extended to all who believe, but we are called to believe His grace is both absolutely necessary AND completely sufficient.
If we truly believe, our life will produce fruit and we will do good works; "Faith, if not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). But our good works will never save us - Salvation is a gift. If we truly believe, we will desire to obediently follow; "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands" (1 John 2:3). But our obedience will never save us - Salvation is a gift.
If we've never settled the issue of Salvation, then today is the day to "trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). We must come before God with empty hands, acknowledge our sin and need for a Savior, and receive the gift of grace offered through Jesus.
As we then continue our walk with Christ, we learn to love Him with all our heart and strive to present our very best, bringing Him glory and honor in ALL we do. But while we walk, love, and strive, we must remember that our "best" is not what earns His favor. Our "successes" will not make us more worthy, and our "failures" will not cause us to lose His love. His gift is everything! Let's give Him everything in return as we continue to live each moment of this wondrous journey by trusting in His grace.
We need to trust in the Lord's grace every step of the way in our walk with God. It is only by way of this trust that we shall see God move more on our behalf (To God be the glory). AMEN!
THIS IS OUR GOD!!
Have a blessed day!!
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