Do you believe in God? Do you believe in Jesus?
Some of us believe that it's too hard to follow God, too many rules and regulations. Some of us believe that as long as we try hard to be good people, do our best, give to charity, & feed the homeless then we're good with God. Some of us compare ourselves to others. Believing that if I'm not doing half the things Joe is doing, & Joe sucks as a person; then I'm doing great! I'm not that bad.
If Joe is a believer, of God & Jesus dying for our sins, although he may be selfish, rude, & just got out of jail for murder. If you & Joe both died today and Jesus asked why should I let you into my gates, do you think He'd let you in if you told him, "well i worked hard, was kind to people, and I did my very best to be a good person in this life." ??
Anyone who feels that they have done "their best" will be condemned. There is no dependency on ourselves and no amount of works that could get us in heaven if we don't believe that Jesus died for our sins. So getting to the gates and telling Jesus that you should get in because YOU did your best or because you were a good person, suggests that Jesus dying on the cross was insufficient. "People are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in god who forgives sinners." Romans 4:5 "So the promise is received by faith. It is given as a free gift. AND WE ARE ALL CERTAIN TO RECEIVE IT, WHETHER OR NOT WE LIVE ACCORDING TO THE LAW .." Romans 4:16 "..God will also count us as righteous if we believe in him, the one who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God." Romans 4:24-25
So what about all the rules and regulations right??
Romans 3:20-31 tells us this:
Doing perfectly what God's moral law requires is IMPOSSIBLE. EVERY PERSON is cursed by that inability. NO ONE can be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law makes sin known, showing us how sinful we are, proving the universal sinfulness of man, and the NEED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Righteousness is impossible to gain by human effort. GOD IS IT'S SOURCE. We receive righteousness through Christ & Christ's death. God can bestow his righteousness on all who believe. We receive the gift of grace by faith alone. Our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith. Emphasizing faith does NOT mean that we can forget about the law, in fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.
So basically, all of our sins are already taken care of and we are existing in A CONSTANT STATE OF GRACE.
Grace: the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God. The condition of being in God's favor. "Immunity", if you will.
"God's grace has set us free from the law. Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God's grace." Romans 6:14 "Realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey. You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. " Romans 6:15-16
A lot of people don't go to church because they feel that whats being spoken about is impractical and irrelevant to them. No concrete application to their everyday lives. This implies that as a listener you know what you need and what's best for you. But how is this so?
He knit us together in our mothers womb. He watched us as we were being formed in utter seclusion, as we were woven together in the dark of the womb. He saw us before we were born. Every day of our lives were recorded in his book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. Psalm 139:13-18
So how is it that we know what we need & what's best for ourselves? Trusting in our own power as creator and sustainer is foolish. Do you trust God more than you trust what your own hands have made?? "Claiming to be wise, they instead become utter fools." Romans 1:22
Only those who acknowledge that they need HIM will be saved.
Prayer is a form of acknowledgement. Prayer shows that we NEED GOD. That we are dependent upon him. And when we don't pray it's as if we feel we don't need him.
Many people are ready to give their lives to Christ if someone would show them how. Jesus commands us to pray that people will responded to this need for workers. Often we pray for something, & God answers our prayers by using us. Be prepared for God to use you to show another person the way to him. Matthew 9:36-38
So from my heart to yours,
.."Asking God, the glorious Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to give you the spiritual wisdom and insight so that you might grow in your knowledge of God. I pray that your hearts will be flooded with light so that you can understand the confident hope he has given to those he called, his holy people who are his rich glorious inheritance. I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God's power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God's right hand in the heavenly realms"... Ephesians 1:17-20
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