It’s Monday again! Hope you all had an excellent weekend. We did some exploring (as usual) on Saturday, and had the opportunity to hang out with some awesome people from church on Sunday. Overall it was a successful weekend:)
I also started reading the book of John over the weekend, which has so far proven to be an excellent book. One thing I love about the different gospels is that you are able to see the same timeline of events from various perspectives. Even though some of the stories may seem a little repetitive, each gospel provides a slightly different tone, which creates depth within the overall timeline.
In John chapter 6, the people were asking Jesus what they needed to do please God, and receive eternal life.
“ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”
Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
John 6:28-29
The people were convinced that God required works from them in order to be deemed righteous and good. It makes sense that they would think this way because this was the way they had always been taught. How strange Jesus’ words must have sounded to them when he said, “The work of God is this” to believe in the one he has sent.” God didn’t have any requirements for them, other than believing in Jesus—the thing that matters most in life.
So often we try [sometimes subconsciously] to earn our own salvation through our various works because we believe that is what God requires of us. Somehow it just seems easier to believe our works can cover us than to believe that Jesus has already done that, and all we need to do is believe. Personally, I think this is cultural. We’re so used to working hard to achieve results that we just can’t totally buy in to the idea that someone would just hand us something so great as eternal life, with only the belief in Jesus attached. But, just as Jesus told those people in John that they only needed to believe in him, the same answer applies to us.
There is NOTHING we can physically do to earn salvation—no task that God would demand of us to complete. In dying on the cross, Jesus paid the ultimate price for our sins so that we wouldn’t have to, and instead have the opportunity to receive eternal life. All we have to do is believe in Jesus, and accept him as Lord of our lives. If you’ve never asked Jesus to come into your life, I would encourage you to do so. It doesn’t matter what you’ve done, or what your past is comprised of—remember there is nothing you can do to earn salvation; all you can do is receive it!
Lord, I recognize that I am a sinner, and that I need your forgiveness. I understand that you sent your only son, Jesus, to earth, and that he died on the cross to save me from my sins so that I can receive everlasting and eternal life with you. He paid the price for my sins, and right now I ask your forgiveness for all of the sins I have committed. Cleanse me. Purify me. I ask Jesus that you come into my life, and that you be my Lord and Savior—forever king of my life. In your name, Amen.
Hope you all are having a great day so far! God Bless:)