3-23-2022

  Good Morning All!

             Ephesians 2:8; “God saved you through faith as an act of kindness. You had nothing to do with it. Being saved is a gift from God.”

  This is kind of directed to those avid sports fans out there. You know who you are. You dress up in the team colors. You sit in the same chair to watch the game because “they always win when I sit in this chair wearing my old team jersey.” When you watch a football game and in the closing seconds of the game, needing a field goal to win the game; do you cross your legs and cross your fingers? Do you, as a fan, do everything you can, from the comfort of your living room, do everything you can possibly do to influence the outcome of the game? Do you?

    No, you don’t. Nothing you do in your living room impacts the game one iota. Very little you do at the game in person impacts the game. When the athletes are focused in on the game, they tend to be able to ignore the distractions around them. So, the next time the team you cheer for wins a game and you think it is because of your lucky socks; I am sorry to tell you; you had nothing to do with it.

    The same is true for our salvation. You had nothing to do with it. You didn’t seek out God, you didn’t figure it out, you didn’t “find Jesus” (He was never lost); you didn’t come to your senses, you did nothing at all. You were a lost and condemned soul with absolutely no chance whatsoever of ever getting to heaven. Fortunately for you and me, God saves us as a wonderful, precious gift. He gives us salvation. It is a gift and a gift, by the very definition of the word, cannot be earned. God saves us as an act of unmitigated love. There is no comparable event in our world. God’s love for you is above and beyond anything that exists.  The salvation which God gives to you is priceless and you get it given to you.

    The really great thing about you has nothing to do with your salvation is that with it all being dependent upon God; we know it will get done right the first time.  We cannot forget to sign one of the papers, or lose the registration, or forget the appointment, or be on the phone or get lost on the way to the signing, or even just have a copy of your birth certificate instead of a certified original. We don’t need to bring anything. God takes care of it all and it does impress him that you always sit in the fourth pew on the pulpit side; you don’t get to heaven that way. It doesn’t matter how much you put in the collection plate; you don’t get to heaven that way. Of course, it doesn’t matter if you haven’t been to church for thirty years or you haven’t put a dime in the collection plate; God still saves you. Our “greatness” doesn’t impress, and our weaknesses do not eliminate; God saves us out of love and not because of what you do or do not do. He also doesn’t exclude you either. God’s grace is for everyone to claim by faith. God even gives us the faith to cling to him and his promises; so, hold on tight receive that gift of salvation and trust in it forever.

Dearest Father, your gift to us is all we need. Give us the sense of peace and comfort that we have when we trust you for all our needs. Be with those who are most troubled by the cares of this world and give them your grace to see the truth and to cling to it. In Jesus’ precious name we pray. Amen

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret