This past week, the men's group that I am a part of got into some great conversation about what makes a person saved. As a side note, the year is almost up and if you're like me, you need momentum going into the new year to keep your new year resolutions....point being, I think it is very important to have a group of peers that you can all dive into the word together and challenge each other. Over the past few years, I have found that being a part of a men's group has made way for deeper and more challenging conversations about my faith, and has strengthened it significantly.
So what makes a person saved? A common baptist saying is "Once saved always saved," but how does one get saved? In Romans it says: "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved," and prior to that in verse 9 that "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Well, this sounds simple enough: you must believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The simplicity of this statement though is far from simple. Jesus communicates with us in ways that help us to understand. He gives us parables and stories to describe the vastly complicated and incomprehensible love of our Father! Think about this: Jesus died FOR YOU....knowing full and well everything of your past, present, and even your future. Try and try your hardest, but sin will be a part of your life. You can try and be perfect, but it is impossible! If it was possible then Jesus would not have been needed. The Ten Commandments are not really meant to condemn in my mind, they are meant to point your eyes to the One who saved you from eternal hell because you cannot keep them!
Part of our discussion the other day though was that we will all have to answer for every sin we committed. I always questioned how I would answer to the sins in my life, until I truly found a relationship with Christ. The blood spilled by Jesus is on our spiritual resume. When God asks me: Account for this sin in 1997, I'll say in full gratitude and thanks to look at the Cross. Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Reference, and He is the only one way.
This is groundbreaking stuff! Why? Because this shows me that there is nothing I can do to earn eternal life except accepting that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. A perfect golf score wont get me there, being the model employee won't get me there, being a good steward in the community won't get me there, and no....money will not get you there. God is not looking for performance! God has given us the greatest gift in the history of time. As we lead into Christmas, I hope your focus is on the gift of Jesus and what that means for you. Your imperfections show His purpose.
My prayer for you this week is that you come to the understanding that your skill set does not get you into Heaven. If you think that works lead you there, then your spiritual resume needs a revisit. Delete all of your accomplishments and put one word, one person, one great reference on your resume: Jesus.
Have a great week!
Song of the week: Jesus, Only Jesus
So what makes a person saved? A common baptist saying is "Once saved always saved," but how does one get saved? In Romans it says: "Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved," and prior to that in verse 9 that "If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Well, this sounds simple enough: you must believe and accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The simplicity of this statement though is far from simple. Jesus communicates with us in ways that help us to understand. He gives us parables and stories to describe the vastly complicated and incomprehensible love of our Father! Think about this: Jesus died FOR YOU....knowing full and well everything of your past, present, and even your future. Try and try your hardest, but sin will be a part of your life. You can try and be perfect, but it is impossible! If it was possible then Jesus would not have been needed. The Ten Commandments are not really meant to condemn in my mind, they are meant to point your eyes to the One who saved you from eternal hell because you cannot keep them!
Part of our discussion the other day though was that we will all have to answer for every sin we committed. I always questioned how I would answer to the sins in my life, until I truly found a relationship with Christ. The blood spilled by Jesus is on our spiritual resume. When God asks me: Account for this sin in 1997, I'll say in full gratitude and thanks to look at the Cross. Jesus Christ is our Heavenly Reference, and He is the only one way.
This is groundbreaking stuff! Why? Because this shows me that there is nothing I can do to earn eternal life except accepting that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. A perfect golf score wont get me there, being the model employee won't get me there, being a good steward in the community won't get me there, and no....money will not get you there. God is not looking for performance! God has given us the greatest gift in the history of time. As we lead into Christmas, I hope your focus is on the gift of Jesus and what that means for you. Your imperfections show His purpose.
My prayer for you this week is that you come to the understanding that your skill set does not get you into Heaven. If you think that works lead you there, then your spiritual resume needs a revisit. Delete all of your accomplishments and put one word, one person, one great reference on your resume: Jesus.
Have a great week!
Song of the week: Jesus, Only Jesus
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