THE WATERFALL OF GRACE

Luke 2 The Message-- The Birth of Jesus  2 1-5 About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.  6-7 While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.  8-12 There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide:

Jesus comments on the Pharisees' Praying Matthew 6:5-8 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.  At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches on prayer. Jesus exposes the prayer practices of the religious leaders. He said that their prayers were all about getting the recognition and attention of others when they prayed. He contrasts their approach to what God desires. Prayer is not about public display of faith; it is about a conversation with

 TITUS 1:2 NKJ 2 in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, It's not just that God has decided He will not lie -- He CANNOT lie. God only speaks truth!  JOHN 17:17 NKJ 17 "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. Whatever God says comes to pass. God cannot lie, because anything He says will come into being -- even if it did not exist before He said it.  GENESIS 1:3 NKJ 3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. So God's Word is ultimate reality! More real, and lasting, than anything we can presently see. God cannot lie because it is contrary to His nature. God's nature is one of selfless love for others. His nature is not to deceive. It is natural for God to be truthful and never to deceive.  NUMBERS 23:19 NLT 19 God is not a man, so he does not lie. He is not human, so he does not change his mind. Has he ever spoken and failed to act? Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

Scripture Genesis 50:15-22 When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?" So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father."  When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said. But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

1 JOHN 4:16 ESV 16 So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.  It is one thing to mentally assent that God loves you. It is another thing entirely to know and believe it. Do you truly believe that God loves you? If not, you should meditate on God's Word until it becomes clear to you. You should think about the great price God paid to redeem you.  This is foundational. You need to believe the love that God has for you. God delights in you! God rejoices over you! He truly loves you! And you need to believe it! Because people act on what they believe. What you truly believe is what you are acting on. For example, if I tell you the building is on fire, you may say a thousand times that you believe me, but I know you don't believe me unless and until I see you leave the building.  Regardless of what people say, or what games we may play with ourselves, the truth is tha

Brian had everything....founder and lead guitarist for the band "Korn" but he felt empty and sick inside. Hear how the Holy Spirit led him to a place of peace. Click below to hear this awesome testimony: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKqajubpF0Y

 JEREMIAH 9:24 ESV  24 but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD."  There is one problem in the world: people don't know God. Many think they know God, but have been deceived. This primary problem is the cause of every other problem. All sin is the result of people not knowing God. For if people knew God, they would love Him, respect Him, want to be like Him, and desire to please Him.  1 JOHN 4:8 NLT 8 But anyone who does not love does not know God, for God is love. People who don't know God's character and nature think He is unreasonable or a hard master. The truth is God is the most loving, giving, unselfish being in existence. Everything He does is for our benefit.  EXODUS 34:5-6 NLT 5 Then the LORD came down in a cloud and stood there with him; and he called out his own name, Yahweh. 6

As we have learned that we are under GRACE  and no longer under the LAW, we might wonder why God gave the Law to the Israelites in the first place? Pastor Prince enlightens us on this issue. i hope this short video is a blessing to you! Click below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MinJi73Cyk8

EPHESIANS 2:4 NKJ 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, The devil promotes the lie that God is mad at people and anxious to condemn them, but the Bible says that God is rich in mercy.  Mercy means not getting what we deserve. Rich means an abundant supply -- more than enough.  The Bible says 41 times of the Lord that "his mercy endures forever." Psalm 136 makes this statement in every verse.  PSALM 136:1 NKJ 1 Oh, give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. We may look at people and think they don't deserve another chance. They may have blown it again and again and they may seem hopeless to us. But God looks at people differently. He looks at them through eyes of Love and sees their potential and so shows mercy. Yes, God is against sin. But it's because He loves us, and knows how harmful sin is.  SAY THIS: God is more merciful than I have realized. God has plenty of mercy.

 PHILIPPIANS 4:4 NKJ 4 Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! At least five times the Bible tells the people of God to rejoice in the Lord. We may not always be able to rejoice in other people, or in our circumstances. People can be frustrating. People can be immature. People can be undependable. Need I go on? But the Lord is different! God is dependable. God is faithful. God is honest. God is good. God is patient. God is kind. God is understanding. God is merciful and gracious.  MALACHI 3:6 NLT 6 "I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed. When we focus on our circumstances, or on what people do, we can lose our joy quickly. But with a true understanding of what God is really like, we cannot help but rejoice because of His goodness and greatness. If you are not sure what God is really like, then look at Jesus Christ in the pages of the Four Gospels in the New Testament. Jesus Christ perfectly re

 JOHN 11:25 NKJ 25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.  The sting of death has been removed for the Christian believer by Jesus our Lord. 1 CORINTHIANS 15:55 NLT 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"  I am not afraid to die. There is no reason for any follower of Jesus to fear death.  REVELATION 12:11b NLT 11 And they did not love their lives so much that they were afraid to die. I'm in no rush to die, for it's best to live a full life on earth and finish our race here. But after we finish on earth, death for a Christian believer is a promotion. There are many people who claim to have visited Heaven and came back. I have never heard one indicate they wanted to leave and return to earth. They all say it is wonderful there beyond words. What else could we expect from our wonderful Lord Jesus!  1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-14 NLT 13 And now, dear brothers and s

 MATTHEW 14:25,28-32 NKJ 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 28 And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water." 29 So He said, "Come." And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord, save me!" 31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.  Most people like to "play it safe." They don't even want their boat to rock, let alone consider getting out and "walking on water." God allows us to make choices. God's plan is that we would walk with Him in His realm of miracles, but He allows us to grow and develop until we are ready. He does not force u

Isaiah 58:2-8  For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God. They ask me for just decisions and seem eager for God to come near them. 'Why have we fasted,' they say, 'and you have not seen it? Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?' "Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists. You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for a man to humble himself? Is it only for bowing one's head like a reed and for lying on sackcloth and ashes? Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the LORD? "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, t

Isaiah 55:9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. We often have difficulty understanding why God would allow children to suffer or why he allows the wicked to prosper. Pastor Chan gives his insight into these questions. Please enjoy this short clip from Francis Chan: click below http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnrJVTSYLr8

 1 CORINTHIANS 1:30  30 You are partners with Christ Jesus because of God. Jesus has become our wisdom sent from God, our righteousness, our holiness, and our ransom from sin. People now have two choices:  1. Quit trying to be right with God by their own efforts, and accept the gift of righteousness by receiving Jesus Christ.  2. Or, try to be good enough for God to accept them based on their own performance. One choice is impossible.  No one can succeed with the second choice. Here are three verses that say "no one" can do it.  ROMANS 3:20 NLT 20 For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.  GALATIANS 2:16 NLT 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right

 DEUTERONOMY 30:19 NKJ 19 "I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live;  Most people don't realize that God has given them the power to choose whether they will be blessed. We choose whether to go God's way and be blessed, or ignore God and go our own way and reap the unfortunate consequences.  God has given humans an amazing freedom to make choices. God does not force blessing on us -- we must choose blessing by choosing God and His ways. God did not create us to be puppets, robots, or slaves. God desires a family He can fellowship with. There would be no joy in being loved by a robot who had no choice, so God created us with the freedom and the right to make choices. With our right to make choices also came the responsibility to make them. So we must make choices. God does not make our choices for us. How do we choose

 PSALM 78:41 KJV 41 Yea, they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel. God is unlimited (but people can limit what God does for them).  True, God cannot deny Himself. That means He cannot act contrary to who He is and what He has said. But beyond that God has no limits that we know of. The Bible tells us the people of Israel limited what God could do for them. We should not make the same mistake.  1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-6 KJV 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. God is very creative. From looking at His creation, you could even guess that sameness might bore Him. Every fingerprint is different. Every eyeball is different. Every ear is different. No two leopards have the same spots.  Yet people think things like: "God cannot work outside of our denomination." "

HEBREWS 2:10a NLT  God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. If you want to understand life, and the Bible, then you need to understand God's plan and purpose. We're here because God wants a family. This is what life is all about. The best description and summary of what is going on is that God is raising a family. It is happening in a realm where there is free choice and temptation to do wrong, but God has provided everything necessary for our complete victory and maturity. If you keep this perspective clearly in view, it will give you the right framework for your thinking about God. Every thing God does has this purpose in mind.  2 CORINTHIANS 6:18 NLT 18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty." We are in preparation for eternity, and this life on earth is just first grade in our learning experience.  MATTHEW 5:45 NLT 45 In that way, you will be acting

Deuteronomy 28:4  “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. Would you want to buy a chair that Jesus made? I would, even if it cost $1,000 because it would be of superb quality. Whatever Jesus did, He did it with perfect excellence. And because Christ is in you, the things which you produce will be of exceptional quality too. That includes your children, who will be champions.  Deuteronomy 28:4 says, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks”. God was using terms that the Israelites understood since they were farmers and shepherds. Today, “your ground” is the place of your work. This means that “the produce” of your work shall be of excellent quality. That is not all. God promises that quantity will always follow quality because Deutero

LUKE 12:4 NKJ 4 "And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. Since Jesus defeated death and removed its sting, believers should no longer be motivated by fear of death.  1 CORINTHIANS 15:55,57 NLT 55 O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? " 57 But thank God! He gives us victory over sin and death through our Lord Jesus Christ. Death has been defeated by Jesus. Now the death of a Christian believer is just a transition from this lower reality to a higher, more perfect, and lasting reality. For anyone trusting in Jesus, there is no reason to be afraid. I believe that death is now like birth: just an entry into an unknown but better place, a place of more freedom and consciousness, where we will continue to learn and grow, as we enjoy the goodness of God.  LUKE 20:38 NLT 38 So he is the God of the living, not the dead, for they are all alive to him." Death is not t

Ruth 4:15 And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age… Famine impoverished the life of Naomi, an Israelite. But it was the deaths of her husband and two sons that left her completely destitute. (Ruth 1:1–5) Or so she thought, until Boaz, who was a wealthy and close relative, entered her life. As her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz married Ruth, Naomi’s widowed daughter-in-law. And through that union, Naomi had a grandson. The birth of her grandson gave her a new lease of life, causing the womenfolk in her village to declare that the restorer of life and the nourisher of her old age had come into her life. (Ruth 4:14–16)  Boaz is a picture of Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer. Jesus became our kinsman when He was born into this world as one like us. And He became our Redeemer when He paid with His life and blood at the cross to redeem us. Jesus gave Himself to us as our restorer of life and nourisher of our old age. When the restorer of life is in our lives, what

Creation Can’t But Redemption Can!   John 9:7  7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing. When Adam sinned and fell, everything about creation fell. Yet, people today are still putting their trust in creation. For example, they try to become healthy by eating what is called the “Eden diet” — vegetables and no meat. They are acting as if creation did not fall. They also forget that there are people who eat well and exercise regularly, and still drop dead in the prime of their lives! Thank God that what creation cannot do, redemption can and did. Jesus demonstrated this when He spat on the ground, made clay with the saliva and put it on a blind man’s eyes.  (John 9:6–7) Now, it is certainly unusual to put clay on a blind man’s eyes because he would become doubly blind! So why did Jesus do that? He was demonstrating to us that all our body parts come from the ground and that because creation

MATTHEW 6:19-20 NLT 19 "Don't store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. When I was young my family had a wall plaque which said: "Only one life, will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." 1 CORINTHIANS 3:13 NLT 13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person's work has any value. If I buy a vehicle for myself it will last only a few years. Then it will rust, wear out, and break down. But if I buy a vehicle for someone that will enable them to preach the Gospel to more people, the blessing and memory of that purchase will last for eternity.  This is not to say it is wrong to have nice things for ourselves. (For it does not bring glory to God for us to be in lack.) But we should n

Philippians 4:6 6    Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  You would probably have read this verse before, but would you like to know how to apply it in your everyday life? Let me give you an illustration to help you. Let’s say that you are one of those in your company eligible for a promotion and you will know tomorrow whether you get it. You want the promotion badly because it means more income for your family. So you lie in bed at night tossing and turning. You pray, “Father, please take away all my worries about this promotion. Give me faith.” One hour later, you are more anxious than ever. It seems like God is not answering your prayer! How come? Because you are not doing it God’s way.  Pray like this instead: “Father, I cast all my worries about the promotion into Your loving hands because You care for me and love me.” The Bible tells us to cast all our cares upon the Lord fo

Deuteronomy 28:5   Blessed Are Your Baskets, Kneading Bowls And Nets! 5“Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. In Bible times, reapers carried baskets on their backs to collect the harvest from the fields. They had to ensure that their baskets were strong and sturdy, so that what they collected would not fall out. The women of that day used kneading bowls to knead dough for making bread. If they used poor-quality bowls which broke easily, they would not be able to make bread. So baskets and kneading bowls in those days represented the means by which one got his tangible blessings. Beloved, your Father in heaven does not want you to worry about the means by which you get your blessings. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, He says to you, “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.” This means that if you are a cab driver, your cab will not break down on your rounds because God says to you, “Blessed shall be your cab.” If you are a businessman, your cap

 Luke 5:4 4  When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” God wants to bless you — big-time! It was for this reason that He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.” The deep is where you will find a whole lot of fish. You won’t find them near the shore in shallow waters. But to launch out into the deep is to move away from the comfort of the shoreline.  My friend, God wants you to break away from your comfort zone and step out in faith to do what He has put in your heart. It may be something simple, but which you have never done before or only dreamt of, like attending a care group. A church member did just that and found love. Today, she is happily married. Now, our Lord Jesus who said, “Launch out into the deep…” also said, “… let down your nets for a catch.” Notice that He used the plural “nets” and not the singular “net”. Beloved, God wants to give you more than what

John 11:41–42 41… And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. 42And I know that You always hear Me…   After Jesus had said these words, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And the man who had been dead for four days came out of his tomb! This is one of the greatest miracles that Jesus performed. Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus raised him to life. Wouldn’t you agree that death is indeed an extreme problem? Having no money in the bank, being sick and losing your job, bad as they are, are not as bad as being dead! But what I want you to see is this: If Jesus, in the most extreme of problems, shows us that the solution is still, “Father, I thank You,” then how much more should we thank God in the midst of the less serious problems we face.  If thanksgiving can raise the dead, then let us give thanks in spite of the negative circumstances and we will see victory. Unfortunately, we tend to do the opposite — mu

MARK 11:25 NKJ 25 "And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. Forgiveness is a choice -- not a feeling. Your feelings may not change while you are praying, but you can choose to forgive at any time. It does not take long to make a choice. How long does it take to forgive? How long can you stand and pray? Jesus never said anything about the person deserving forgiveness. Nor did He say to forgive only after they asked for forgiveness. Anytime you talk to God, Jesus said to forgive if you had anything against anyone. That would include people who hurt you without even realizing they hurt you. Even people who were still trying to hurt you. "Anyone" in this verse includes everyone, no matter what their attitude may be. Why should you forgive them?  Not because they deserve it. But because of the harm it will cause you if you don't forgive. The reason you are t

 John 16:23 23“… Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Do you always end your prayers with “in Jesus’ name”? Maybe your Sunday school teacher taught you to do this, or maybe you have heard church leaders and other believers utter it at the end of their prayers. I used to say “in Jesus’ name” very quickly as if those were magic words that would get my prayers answered. Then, one day, I heard the Lord asking me why I was doing that. The Lord wanted me to realize that whenever I pray and say “in Jesus’ name”, I am putting my entire faith for my prayer to be answered not in who I am or what I have done, but in the person and name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and what He has done at the cross! Whenever we ask God for anything in Jesus’ name, Jesus says to us, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.” This means that in your prayer for healing, when you say “in Jesus’ nam

MATTHEW 17:20 NKJ 20 So Jesus said to them, . . . if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. While I won't question that what Jesus said is literally true, I think the primary lesson He meant for us to understand is that a mountain is anything standing in our way -- which we would call a problem. Lots of people speak to God about their problems. But not many people speak to their problems and tell them to be gone. It's not wrong to discuss things with God. But that is not all we should do. Jesus spoke to problems and He instructed us to speak to things we want removed from our lives. LUKE 17:6 ESV 6 And the Lord said, "If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. You may think it's strange to speak to things. But God

PHILIPPIANS 2:3-4 NKJ 3 Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. 4 Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Selfishness, not hate, is the opposite of divine love. All the problems in the world today are the result of selfishness. The problems in our governments and with our economies are all the result of selfishness. The problems in our families are the result of selfishness. JAMES 3:16 TEV 16 Where there is jealousy and selfishness, there is also disorder and every kind of evil. The answer is for each of us to desire the best for others, even to the point of sacrificing our own benefit to see others blessed. This describes divine love. That's how Jesus lived. His aim was to benefit others, not to please Himself. Jesus suffered so we would not have to suffer. This love is a commandment for all Christian believers. But this commandment

Luke 5:9 9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; As a young Christian, I grew up hearing preachers say that God only supplies our needs, not our wants. Yet, in the Bible, God clearly shows us that He wants to meet not just our needs, but also our wants. For example, the famous “shepherd psalm” begins with “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”. (Psalm 23:1) Another psalm says, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:9–10) One of the names of our God is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the all-providing One”. He provides more than enough. The God of more-than-enough came in the flesh and walked among His people. And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He did not give His disciples small blessings. That is why He said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your

Leviticus 2:11 11‘No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire. When I was a young Christian, I heard of an illustration for Psalm 23 about shepherds who sometimes break the legs of sheep which habitually stray, so as to teach them not to stray. That erroneous teaching — “The Lord is my Shepherd, He breaketh my legs” — stuck with me for years, causing me needless fear of God’s punishment when I felt that I had strayed from Him. Such erroneous teachings are what God’s Word refers to as “leaven”. That is why Jesus cautioned His disciples, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.” (Matthew 16:6)  The leaven of the Pharisees was their doctrine of legalism, which judges and condemns people who fail to keep God’s laws. The leaven of the Sadducees was their doctrine of humanism, which discounts the supernatural and teaches that everythi

 EPHESIANS 2:8-9 NLT 8 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. If salvation is based on our performance -- on what we do -- then it is not by grace. Our salvation is based on what Jesus Christ did. Our part is simply to receive the gift!  ROMANS 4:1-4 NLT 1 Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? 2 If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God's way. 3 For the Scriptures tell us, "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." 4 When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned. Salvation cannot be a free gift and also be something we must earn. Either we earn it, or it is a gift. It cannot be a mixt