Saved By Faith, Not Works

Ephesians 2:8-9 -- "God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

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How often do you find yourself doing something because it is expected of you? How often to you buy that shirt, purse, jeans, car, or house because it is what is how you are expected to look? How often do you volunteer for that committee because it looks good to your friends? How often do you read the Bible or attend church just because it is the right thing to do?

Now I am not knocking any of these activities. They are all good in their own time. It is pleasant to buy clothes and everyone needs a house and car of some sort. And It is always a good idea to read the Bible and go to church. My point is, if we are simply acting "Christian" then what difference does it make? Our actions are important, they are an outward showcase of what is going on in our heart. However, our motives and attitude behind what we do is more important. God does not save us by our actions, but by our faith.

Even if we are doing everything for God and doing all the right things, it is still not the same as having a relationship with God. We can read the Bible, go to church and still be carrying around a cracked cistern and not even realize it. Sometimes we get into such a routine of living for God that we forget to talk to God. And more importantly we forget to listen. We can check bible study off our list at the end of the day and week, or Sunday school, or church service, or even choir practice, or leading children's school. But are we focusing on God during those activities? Honestly, not always.

Our salvation is not something we can earn with good actions that we can boast about and feel accepted by our friends and our Christian community, it is a gift from God. How well do you know our merciful and generous God? Have you heard from Him lately? Are you listening to see if He is speaking to you now?

Dear Lord,
Help me to not fall into routine. When I do, open my eyes to recognize it and call upon You to set me free from idol works and to rest in You in faith.

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Our Hope Is Alive

Hebrews 9:28 -- "So also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.

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When Christ walked the earth He had many followers and preached to great crowds. He was the Messiah, the Savior, the one who was going to bring restoration and redemption to all of God's children. He did these things, but not in the way the people thought they were going to happen. The Messiah was suppose to be the king who returned the land of Israel to God's people. They believed the Savior would be a great warrior who would conquer the land that God promised them. However, they received a servant.

 Matthew 23:11 -- "The greatest among you must be a servant."

The apostles, the men and women, who walked with Jesus, heard his teachings and saw his miracles, were full of hope while participating in Jesus' ministry that he truly would save the world.

 Matthew 12:21 -- "And His name will be the hope of all the world."

However, all of that hope could have died with Jesus on the cross. Thankfully, God had a bigger plan for His Son and for this world. Jesus rose from the dead to be the ultimate sacrifice for our sins. He gave us more hope by conquering death than He ever could by conquering a city. Because of Christ's veiled time of service on earth we may all have an eternity with God.

John 11:25 -- "Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying."

When Jesus comes again, He will not be a veiled servant as he was the first time, He will be a wonder to behold and everyone will know the Son of God in all of His majesty. This time he will not come to teach but to judge. He holds the keys of death and grave and He is here to grant true salvation by conquering sin once and for all.

Revelation 1:18 -- "I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave."

We do not know when Jesus is coming again, but we must be prepared. We must know in our hearts that Jesus is King and that God is who He says He is and does what He says He will do. 

Matthew 24:36 -- “However, no one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows."

The question is not if Jesus will return to save us all once again, but when. Are you ready?

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Study God's Word and be Blessed!

Satan's Evil Schemes

2 Corinthians 2:11 -- "So that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes."

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We are living in the world and the world is in the middle of a cosmic war. Spiritual warfare is all around us. God is always looking out for us and Satan is always trying to trip us up. It takes a little bit to wrap your head around this unseen struggle, but once you consider it, many things begin to make sense.

One example of this struggle is in the church. Church discipline is in place to keep the church pure and help its people repent if they go astray. Satan tempts those of the church to use church discipline in an unforgiving way. This causes the ones exercising discipline to become proud of their purity (not unlike the Pharisees) and it causes the one who has gone astray to become bitter, leave the church and possibly even turn his (or her) back on God. This is Satan's ultimate goal, to figure out how to get us to turn away from God. In my example, both sides are guilty of sin and God will judge both equally.

It is important to remember church discipline and is meant to restore a person to the fellowship, not to destroy them. We must be cautious that our personal anger does not cause us to react harshly to a fellow Christian, no matter their sin. This includes personal  relationships as well as church discipline. God will judge the person in question, but He will judge you equally.

By understanding that Satan can influence us and the society around us, he will not outsmart us because we are familiar with his schemes. I am fortunate to be studying The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis now which is an insightful piece of fiction pointing out these very schemes. I look forward to sharing that study with you soon!

I believe the answer to Satan's schemes is simply being aware of how easy it is to become distracted. And then to constantly examine yourself and realign yourself with God's Word to make sure that he is what we measure our actions and attitudes by, not the world.

Dear Lord,
Help me to be aware of myself and constantly examining myself with your world. Help me to be open to criticism from you and others and to not become prideful if it is my responsibility to help discipline a fellow Christian. Lord, open my eyes to Satan's schemes so I may overcome them and be a brighter light for You!

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Study God's Word and be Blessed!

Wordless Wednesday *Linky* Whatcha Doing?

We have a very curious kitty who is always interested in what we are doing. This was a perfect picture with the question in his eyes, "Whatcha Doing?"

Link up and join in on the Wordless Wednesday fun!

 

The Treasure of Common Sense

Proverbs 2:7 -- "He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest. He is a shield to those who walk with integrity."

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I don't know about you, but in our house the constantly fluxuating levels of common sense is a running joke. To be honest, common sense isn't really that common at all. Solomon calls common sense a treasure. With that description, common sense is not about commonality, but a reward given to those who are honest.

Common sense is tied directly to wisdom. Wisdom means you know the right way and you go that way. We are granted the treasure of wisdom when we choose to follow God. When we are honest with God and repent when we falter He grants us victory. God does not reward those who drift through life and use their resources irresponsibly. Only when we follow the right path, God's way, will we find victory.

To those who have an honest and repentive heart, God acts as a shield to help keep us from pride and greed. As long as we walk with integrity and stay faithful to our purpose in God's will, He will protect us from others and from ourselves.

Dear Lord,
Help me to stay faithful to Your purpose and shield me from harm from others and myself. Help me to gain wisdom and receive the treasure of common sense.

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Study God's Word and be Blessed!