…but god… Episode 153
Transcript
“If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”
1 Peter 1:17-19 NASB2020
Peter could not be more clear. There is nothing we can do, there is nothing we can say, that can earn our way to heaven. It’s not about thinking we did more good than bad, hoping to earn God’s approval. Peter calls that type of thinking “futile”. The only way we have salvation is accepting that Jesus died on the cross paying the debts for all sin for all time. Believe that he rose from the dead to prove death has no power over us, thus giving us eternal life with Him. Then we will have the power of the Holy Spirit, God in us, and we will go from just believing and receiving the gift of Grace and Forgiveness to living for Christ and following His perfect and pleasing will.
God does not need our money or our works, he wants our heart. Not just part of our heart but all of it! We as followers should not hold anything back from Him. God clearly tells us how to love Him in Deuteronomy “Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. And you shall repeat them diligently to your sons and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk on the road, when you lie down, and when you get up. You shall also tie them as a sign to your hand, and they shall be as frontlets on your forehead. You shall also write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NASB2020
Now the Israelites took God literally and put the words of God on themselves and everywhere God said including on their doors to their homes. Nevertheless, this means our love and service of God should permeate everything we do, that we say and that we are. This will also allow us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This is what God requires of us to be called His followers.
You see our love and good deeds are not done to earn a spot in heaven, they are done because we love God completely and we trust His perfect and pleasing will.
Lord, we thank you and we praise you for revealing yourself to us. Thank you for the redemption of Christ and thank you for loving us so much. Thank you also for leaving the power of the Holy Spirit in us. Help us to lay all our fleshly desires at the foot of the cross each and every day. So that we May completely and totally follow you. In Jesus Name Amen…
Shalom, Shalom, blessings and Press In and Press On!
Hosted by Chad McBeam
