Tag Archives: Salvation

2015 Day 113 – James 1

23 Thursday Apr 2015

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Today we begin reading in the book of James. As you will recall, we are reading the New Testament in chronological order of events. The book of James was the first book written after the gospels and lines up with events as they happened in the book of Acts. The author is obviously James who was the half brother of Jesus. There are some people who have a hard time with the book of James because, while he talks about grace that comes through salvation from Christ’s sacrifice, there is a lot of talk about actions. This tends to confuse people into thinking it is all about works. James simply brings into view the outcomes that should come from those who have been miraculously saved and are in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. In the first chapter of James we find my favorite verse, James 1:12, Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. As we have seen in our past reading, God does not promise an easy and perfect life. But He has promised our reward of eternal life when we have stood against all this life has to throw at us.

2015 Day 111 – Acts 13

21 Tuesday Apr 2015

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The beauty of the Gospel is that we are freed from the guilt of sin. This does not mean we can sin freely, but that we are not slaves to our sin nature. In Acts 13:38-39 Paul says, 38 Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39 Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Previously, the law was like putting a Band-Aid on a bullet wound. But through Jesus’ sacrifice for each of us we are free from the bondage of sin and the effects of it. We are all given a gift we could never give ourselves no matter how hard we try.

2015 Day 95 – Happy Easter!

05 Sunday Apr 2015

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When we say “Happy Easter”, we should be over-joyed by what this day represents. The picture below was taken this morning from my backyard. Every time I see a sunrise I want to be reminded of what Jesus did for me and that He is alive; He rose from the dead for me and now I have eternal life because of Him. Jesus endured a tremendous amount of suffering for each of us so we could experience eternal life. Earlier this week we talked about the beginning of Luke 24:6 where the angel of the Lord says to the women who went to Jesus’ tomb, “He is not here; He is risen!” Imagine the emotions of going from “all is lost” to “He is alive!!”.

HeIsRisen

 

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2015 Day 94 – John 20

04 Saturday Apr 2015

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Tomorrow is Easter! It is my favorite day of the year. When I think of all the suffering Jesus endured for me and then realize He conquered it all, there is nothing but joy and peace I feel for knowing I serve the God who stands over everything, including death. Though I sometimes feel like “doubting” Thomas, most of the time and especially on Easter I feel like the Thomas in John 20:28, Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus is Lord over all and He is my God because He created me, loves me, died for me, and saved me. What else is there? What else could He possibly do to prove who He really is? I love Jesus… that is all.

2015 Day 93 – Luke 24

03 Friday Apr 2015

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The very first sentence in Luke 24:6, “He is not here; he has risen!” How beautiful are those words! Today I also read a quote that said, “Earth’s saddest day and gladdest day were just… three days apart.” So true! While today is Good Friday and we remember the crucifixion, in just three days we celebrate the most hopeful of days, His resurrection! Praise God for loving us so much that even in the darkest of days His light will always shine through. Have a blessed weekend as we focus on all Christ sacrificed so that we can have a relationship with Him for all eternity.

2015 Day 87 – Luke 23

28 Saturday Mar 2015

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As we approach Easter, our reading is leading us to Christ’s crucifixion in Luke 23. What stood out to me in our reading today was Jesus’ interaction with the criminals being crucified with Him. While one of the criminals insulted Jesus for not saving them from the cross, the other recognized who Jesus was and His innocence. In Luke 23:41 he says, “We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Jesus provided eternal salvation to these men by His sacrifice on the cross just as He provides it to us when we accept this gift from Him. When Jesus told these men they would be in paradise on that very day, He was giving us a glimpse of the salvation He would provide for us. One day we will be in paradise and it is because Jesus loved us enough to suffer and die to cover our sins.

2015 Day 76 – Matthew 26

17 Tuesday Mar 2015

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Jesus never denied who He was or the fact that He was the Son of God. In Matthew 26:64 he says to the religious leaders, “Yes it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” By this, Jesus declared His royalty in no uncertain terms. By calling Himself the Son of Man, Jesus claimed to be the Messiah and knew His declaration would cause His death. Even so, Jesus was calm, courageous, and determined to do what He had set out to do; to be the Savior of the world.

2015 Day 65 – John 12

06 Friday Mar 2015

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When Jesus came to earth, He made it clear that He did not come to judge it, but to bring salvation to those who believed. John 12:47 says, “As for the person who hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge him. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save it.” Judgement comes from the Father. Jesus came to save by covering all our sin through His sacrifice on the cross. But if Jesus is rejected, then the Father has no choice but to judge those who do not believe by their own merits. Ultimately, the choice is ours.

2015 Day 52 – Luke 15

21 Saturday Feb 2015

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In the parable of the Prodigal Son, we tend to focus on the son who takes his inheritance and squanders it, and we pay very little attention to the older son who stayed with the father. At the end of the parable, the older son becomes upset because of all the attention the younger son receives from the father. The father addresses the older son in Luke 15:31-32, 31 ” ‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ “ Jesus was referring to the Pharisees in reference to the older son because they were against giving the inheritance of the Jews to the gentiles. But this is why Jesus came in the first place. He came to save all people who believe in Him, not just the Jews. The privilege of the Jews is because the Messiah came through Jewish lineage, not that salvation came exclusively for them.

The same thing applies to us in the modern “church”. Salvation is not exclusive to those who live righteous lives. Nowhere does Jesus say we must be righteous before we become saved. A righteous life does not exist without salvation from Jesus and the Holy Spirit living in our lives. Let us not confuse the sin in someone’s life with God’s ability to cleanse us from all unrighteousness as John wrote in 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

2015 Day 48 – John 10

17 Tuesday Feb 2015

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Some of my favorite passages in the Bible are when Jesus speaks bluntly about who He is and His purpose for coming into this world. John 10:9 says, I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come and go out, and find pasture. There is no question that Jesus came to us to become the gate by which we enter into salvation and into real relationship with God. Jesus does not mince words and makes it clear that He is the only way. Whether we choose to believe, and in turn follow Him, is up to us. But when we do, we find all we need; pastures that sustain all our needs.