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Tag Archives: grace of god

How do you get to heaven?

19 Sep

How do you get to heaven?

Galatians 2:15-21   We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 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. 17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we too were found to be sinners, is Christ then a servant of sin? Certainly not! 18 For if I rebuild what I tore down, I prove myself to be a transgressor. 19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose. (ESV)

True or False: You get to heaven by being a good person and following the rules of Christianity.

How you answer that question determines your eternity. If the “law” is that set of rules that you try so hard to follow, you are relying on your own power to get right, or be justified before God. You may understand that you are a sinner, and you may think you understand Christ, but it has gotten twisted somewhere in your basis of belief on following the rules to get your key to paradise. I grew up thinking that going to church got me into heaven; as a part of that belief was inter-twined that system of following the rules. I mean, there could be no way I did not have to do something to pay my way, right? There had to be some rule about prayer, forgiveness, hard work, changed ways, repentance; at least being better than that bad person I know right? Maybe it is as simple as on God’s scales of justification, that my good deeds outweigh my bad. I think I can pull this off; live my life to the fullest for a few years, and then spend my remaining years righting all the wrongs I had done……..plenty of time…….in that statement is the works based faith that condemns, and you pay eternally for that mistake……that was me for most of my life.

Salvation is not found in a church pew, following all the rules, or even the mis-conception of anything called God’s scales weighing out your life. There is only ONE way to heaven, and it is by the free grace that God gave you through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Grace is defined as unmerited favor; giving us something we do not deserve. The Gospel is this good news; that God gave us this grace in Christ; the forgiveness of sins through His blood on the Cross. All it takes is a humble, repentant heart, seeking that grace upon which he gave. To come to that understanding that we can never achieve it, only humbly accept it. Upon it, your life will never be the same, from here into eternity. #thankyouJesus

 
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Posted by on September 19, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Contentment is expelled

06 Jun

Contentment is expelled

Revelation 3:14-22     “And to the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write,’These things says the Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of the creation of God: 15 I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. 17 Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’–and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked– 18 I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined in the fire, that you may be rich; and white garments, that you may be clothed, that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and anoint your eyes with eye salve, that you may see. 19 As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten. Therefore be zealous and repent. 20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me. 21 To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne. 22 He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” ‘ “

I was talking with a pastor the other day and telling him that this was the ministry I felt called to described in the passage above. We all have different spiritual gifts and callings; some are evangelistic, some are encouragers, all are called to repent. I was that guy from Laodicea; I felt comfortable in my life in so many ways, and I felt comfortable in my faith giving God an hour a week at church. I had grown up thinking you went to heaven because you went to church. That was how it worked; I could do all that I wanted and give God my hour to pay my entry gate fee for paradise. I could have all that I wanted now, as long as I sat in the pew on Sunday morning, no matter what I did Saturday night. By the grace of God I came to realize I would regret that lifestyle for an eternity if I did not repent of it. Now I fell called to an uncomfortable, tough ministry of the life I once led, but now through His grace and mercy I left behind.

Church will never save you; being a good person will never save you; no good works will ever save you; you can never do ANYTHING that will earn your way into heaven. Only through a humble repentant heart, is the key to eternal paradise; only through that heart seeking the forgiveness found in Christ’s sacrifice is heaven. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. There comes a point in your Salvation, that God begins the Sanctification process; making you more like Christ. You will be led to let go of sin, and turn to Him. This is a lifelong process, and at many times it is very painful; but it is the ultimate goal of God, to see His Son when He looks at you. This refining process should open your eyes through your heart, and bring about a desire to know more of Him.

I am going to take some time over the upcoming days to study this passage. I hope that you will join me on this journey. I pray that God will speak to you and open your eyes as He did mine. I pray that we will grown closer to Him together as a result of our time together with Him. Will you join me as we try and dig deeper into this passage; to grow closer to Him and move away from that happy medium of contentment? You are either growing in your faith, or you are backsliding. The middle ground of contentment is what is described in Revelation 3 above.

 
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Posted by on June 6, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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A Choice: God’s Word or TV

23 May

A Choice: God’s Word or TV

1 John 4:4-6     You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 5 They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them. 6 We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

John is speaking directly to the false teachers of the day. Those that had divided the Word, and transformed it unto their liking. They had mangled it into a blend of philosophies and religions, and twisted it into religions that suited lifestyles; religions that suited some, elevated others, but for the most part took Christ out of the picture. If He remained there, he had been transformed into differing ideals; not remaining the Incarnated Son of God that had come to save the world from sin. They had provided their concoctions that would, as the apostle Paul spoke of their ministries, teaching what people wanted to hear. 2 Timothy 4:3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

You are given the blessing of the Holy Spirit living inside of you, when you answer that call upon your life of the grace of God found in Salvation. The Spirit is your teacher; it is He who grants you the understanding of spiritual things. It is He inside you that makes you see things through your heart. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. It is He that makes you question, what you hear. That is the discernment of the Holy Spirit living inside you, and the greater discernment is cultivated by a heart that is in daily pursuit in God’s Word. There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing today preaching a blend of their own around the gospel of God. The prosperity preaching by so many elevated in today’s media has become the accepted normal. This blend of Christ and all the financial and material blessings he wants you to have, fit very well into the American society with the desire of excess.

The blessings that God intends for you are eternal; they are not money, houses, cars, vacations, power, and all the riches that are measured by the standards of this world. If you believe that you have been deceived by a false prophet. You may have come to find Christ, but you need to concentrate on following your Savior in the Word, and not the false preacher on TV. Pray for the Holy Spirit living inside you to open your eyes to God through His Word. You will find eternal riches in the peace that comes in the understanding of the Word. John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. If you continue to feed yourself by sitting under the false teachers, you will only be led farther away in the opposite direction.

 
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Posted by on May 23, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

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Debate or Deliver?

04 Oct

Debate or Deliver?

2 Timothy 2:14-16  Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

Most today will be discussing the presidential debate of last night. Their believed winner and looser; dissecting their speech and forming their opinions of whom they should cast their vote for. Politics have the natural bend to bring out the debater in us all, sometimes our opinions become overbearing for the need to convince or change our opponents point of view. We try to argue our way of thinking into the idea that we must be right, and surely they must be wrong. Luckily I live in a free country where we even have the ability to freely present these feelings.

The Apostle Paul was speaking to Timothy in regards to the importance of understanding the Word of God so that he preached the Word of God clearly and correctly. A teacher of God’s Word is held to a higher standard; this is a weight that scares me as I share in this format every day. I am held accountable for my every word. James 3:1 My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment. Paul was encouraging Timothy to remain focused; to not be draw astray himself with those who distract from the whole truth. The heretics (false teachers) were twisting God’s Word a little at a time, leading people astray.

Debate has been in the church since the beginning of time. We are all born into sin, and that sin separates us from God. Therefore we have opposing sides of good and evil. Once we rest in the grace of God under the Salvation through Christ, we change sides. That desire that grows inside you with the realization of your life before and after Christ drives you to share, or debate, your faith with others. We can’t argue someone into believing in Christ. John 6:44 No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. We are to present our faith and the Good News in love and respect to everyone who will here following the last words of Christ in Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. You may be the one who “wins” that debate by God preparing them to receive the Good News that you deliver; and you get to see their life change forever as God’s gift to you.

 
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Posted by on October 4, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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Humble 106 – Pride 12 (Pride looses the game)

26 Apr

Humble 106 – Pride 12 (Pride looses the game)

1 Peter 5:5-7 Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

This morning I feel at ease as a result of finishing the updating of my testimony yesterday, and a good nights rest. I ask for your prayers as I deliver it tonight at Celebrate Recovery at my church. I have been forgiven and delivered from so much in my life by the grace of God. I have so much to be thankful for. I found myself in prayer this morning just wrapped up in Thanksgiving to God for where He has let me go, delivered me from, forgiven me for, and brought me to in my life. As I moved to my bible this morning I saw this scripture above highlighted on the coming pages, ahead of where I was going to be today in my study of 1 Peter. What a summary of my life and pride.

God has let me think for years I could do it my way. He has watched me rebel, watched me think I was in control, and that I could do all things and on my timetable. I was always of that independent stubborn mindset that I could do all things, but somewhere along the way my heart realized my sin, and my heart realized His love for me. The byproduct of the realization of God’s love for you and the sacrifice of His Son for your sin will humble you. Satan will try to convince you otherwise, that your good works will save you, but humility will allow you to realize you can never achieve Salvation yourself. James 4:6-8 But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.” Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Pride is the root of all sin, and pride is directly from Satan. Humble yourself and rest in the assurance that Satan is a defeated foe, and the power that you reside in is from God and not of yourself.

 
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Posted by on April 26, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

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