Skip to main content

by grace we are saved



Ephesians 2:7-10 New International Version (NIV) 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 Ephesians 2:7-10 The Message (MSG) 7-10 Now God has us where he wants us, with all the time in this world and the next to shower grace and kindness upon us in Christ Jesus. Saving is all his idea, and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish! We don’t play the major role. If we did, we’d probably go around bragging that we’d done the whole thing! No, we neither make nor save ourselves. God does both the making and saving. He creates each of us by Christ Jesus to join him in the work he does, the good work he has gotten ready for us to do, work we had better be doing.



Just seed for Me...

When witnessing to a non-believer I find myself sometimes getting really frustrated. Could I have presented this better...was my timing bad...am I not explaining the gospel correctly? When they don't respond positively or seem open to the ideas I feel like I failed or I even get mad. I have to step back and remember that I can only plant a seed...hopefully water it here and there...but the Holy Spirit makes it grow. We can't even fathom what goes on behind the scenes in someones heart... and sometimes they don't even know. So we just trust that God will make the seed we planted grow. Really, the best thing we can do is to imitate God's grace to others by being compassionate and understanding... for some of us we can look back to where we came from and relate to how "hard headed" we might have been.God knows I was a hard case! the Bible says that we have been given what we need just spread the gospel of Jesus Christ... but it doesn't mean that every person we witness to is necessarily going to be an instant spiritual success story. We can only do what we can do then let go and let God do the rest. perhaps you have some thoughts on the subject of witnessing you'd like to share... or some suggestions on how to be a better evangelist or disciple to the unsaved.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

... that saved a wretch like me.

my story is not much different from any other alcoholic or drug addict who is in recovery. we sought out a higher power because our Lives be came on manageable. through much self examination we came to understand our defects in character... we reached out to others for fellowship and mentoring. I, as many have, came to believe in Jesus as my higher power and five years ago I accepted Christ... I got into a church and started reading my Bible. I slowly developed a thirst for knowledge of God in His Word. my grandmother has been sending Christian books for years and I just shelved them, so I already had a decent size Christian library. I also be came a big watcher of Christian television. I tried out several different churches... looking for a place I could feel at home in. having had a big interest in philosophy and world religions in college, I had sampled from the religion buffet. I guess you could say I became ravenous with my new found faith. I read and listen to anything I could ge...

Blessed Are Your Baskets, Kneading Bowls And Nets!

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,...

Don't worry...Jesus Is Your Righteousness

 ROMANS 5:1 NLT  Therefore, since we have been made right in God's sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. God offers righteousness as a free gift to everyone who receives the Lord Jesus Christ.  Righteousness means right-wise-ness, or being right. So righteousness is right standing, or good standing with God. It does not mean human "perfection." Righteousness is a gift from God -- not something you can earn or achieve. God simply declares that you are innocent, as far as He is concerned, because you believe in Jesus, and that makes you righteous.  1 CORINTHIANS 1:30 NKJ 30 But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God -- and righteousness and sanctification and redemption  You ARE righteous if Jesus is your Lord. In fact, Jesus IS your righteousness. As a believer in Jesus, you will never be more righteous -- no matter what you do. Romans 3:10 is a well known verse on this...