Nov 28, 2012
Read | 1 Timothy 1:12-17
Our lives are hopeless without God. We are born with a "flesh" nature and continue to choose wrong paths throughout our lives. The penalty for sin is death and eternal separation from God. No one is exempt from this biblical truth. And there is nothing that any of us can do to change the situation.
Enter God's grace, His unmerited favor toward us. We can't do anything to earn it. He blesses us according to His goodness, apart from anything we have done.
Consider the apostle Paul, whose original intent was to persecute anyone claiming the name of Jesus. He played a significant role in the brutal violence aimed at Christians and, in his own words, was the "chief" of sinners (1 Tim. 1:15 kjv). Nothing he did deserved God's love.
Divine grace led the Almighty to reach down and forgive this hateful zealot who blasphemed Jesus' name. God lovingly transformed him into a man who dedicated himself to sharing the gospel message. Paul's life illustrates grace beautifully.
We are unable to do enough good deeds to earn our way to heaven. Salvation is possible only because by grace, Christ died on the cross. The one who took the punishment for our sin deserves all credit for our redemption.
Jesus' death covered the sins of the entire world. There is no transgression too great for Him to forgive. We can add nothing to His act of atonement; all we can do is receive this free gift. If we trust in Christ as Savior, God will save us, making us His children forever.
God bless you!
Amen
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The Danger in Being a Christian: It began as a Jewish sect; fierce persecution only helped it spread Today's reading: Acts 8 Acts 8:1 On that day a great persecution broke out against the church at Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. In some countries, a person who becomes a Christian forfeits a good education and job. And in a few countries, a person who converts risks his or her life. One church historian estimates that more Christians were martyred in the twentieth century than in all preceding centuries put together. Yet, strangely, more often than not, intense persecution of Christians leads to a spurt of growth in the church. An ancient saying expresses this phenomenon: "The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church." The First Big Advance For a while, the new faith enjoyed popular favor. But very soon it involved grave risk. In the book of Acts, the persecution that produced the first Christian martyr, St...
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