But because of his great love for us,
God who is rich in mercy, made us
ALIVE with CHRIST
even when we were dead in transgressions –it is by
GRACE you have been SAVED.
Ephesians 2:4
I love Jesus. Unabashedly. Recklessly. Fearlessly. I am UNASHAMED of my faith and commitment to Jesus Christ and the GRACE in which I now stand: FREE. FORGIVEN. LOVED. WHOLE. HEALED. DELIVERED. REDEEMED! I know that this grace; this FREE GIFT of SALVATION (Eph 2:4-7) which cannot be earned by good works, is mine for all eternity because of my FAITH in Jesus Christ, for through our FAITH, we are made righteous before God. Amen!
Not only does this free gift of grace render me righteous before God, I am now WASHED, CLEANSED, REBORN, RENEWED and FORGIVEN (Titus 3:4-7). For truly, through grace I have become a new creature in Christ (2 Cor 5:17) and a newly, adopted member of the eternal family of God. The long and short of it—through my FAITH and BELIEF in Jesus Christ, I have become an HEIR to the Kingdom of God with an inheritance in heaven that will NEVER PERISH SPOIL or FADE! (1 Peter 1:3-9). Hallelujah!
How did I become a member or the family of God? I will tell you! I began reading from a standard King James Bible that I purchased in a standard grocery store here in Roswell, GA. I began attending a Christian church (North Point Community Church lead by Pastor Andy Stanley) and CHOSE to hear the Word of God –rather than ignore it—even though that would have been the easier and “simpler” choice… at the time.
Then, in 2010, I heard the truth for the VERY FRIST TIME, that we are not only forgiven because of the grace of Jesus Christ, but actually SAVED by our FAITH in believing in the saving work of Jesus Christ on the cross—that this is TRUE GRACE. The miracle to me, is that I that very moment, this truth about grace, began to take root in my heart through the power of the Holy Spirit. I remember the tears beginning to fall, and fall, and fall. I must have cried all my make up off that day! I just couldn’t explain it—but that day, God was literally removing my heart of stone and giving me a new heart and a new Spirit (Ezk 36:26).
And so, at Christmastime, I heard for the first time, the teaching that “Abraham was made righteous by his FAITH.” (Genesis 15:6). This teaching simply blew my mind…not because a gifted preacher was standing on a stage saying what I wanted to hear, but because the Holy Spirit convicted my heart and spoke the truth of it over my heart. This is when and where my spiritual journey took a completely different path…away from an empty legalistic faith and towards a life-giving relationship with Jesus Christ through the truth about the DEITY of JESUS and his AMAZING GRACE! (John 1:1; Heb 1:8-12).
Then a few months later, while praying, I experienced the love of Jesus in such a MIGHTY way, that I was completely CHANGED. TRANSFORMED and even HEALED inside and out! The love of Jesus was so real that it felt tangible—like a covering all over me. I will never forget it—and I have never been the same, nor will I ever BE the SAME.
I know now, from studying scripture, that it was the Holy Spirit that sealed me to God and placed me in a right relationship with God when I accepted the message of SAVING GRACE through belief in Jesus Christ and his true Deity. For truly, the Holy Spirit is the revealer of TRUTH. Jesus explains this beautiful mystery in John 16:13:
But when he the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.
Not by MIGHT, nor be POWER, but by MY SPIRIT,
Declares the Lord.
Zechariah 4:6
It is so comforting and wonderful to know that we don’t have to guess our way through this spiritual journey in life! We can seek the Lord Jesus Christ, and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we[A1] can receive the answers we seek from the Lord. I love this verse from Jeremiah 33:3:
“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”
Truly, through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can know and recognize truth! Amen!
And we can be sure of truth, because the truth of God is always accompanied by a spirit of peace, for God does not give us a Spirit of confusion or fear, but of peace and a sound mind. (2 Tim 1:7).
We become a member of the family of God when we hear the gospel, confess our sins, and place our FULL FAITH and TRUST in Jesus Christ ALONE…not ONLY for the forgiveness of sins but ALSO for our SALVATION! Scripture tells us, that the moment we are saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in our hearts and we are born into or “adopted” into the family of God! Romans 8:14-17:
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry “Abba, Father.” The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
This understanding that we are made righteous by our faith is traced back to Abraham, who “believed God and was made righteous by his faith.” This is known as “The Abrahamic Covenant”.
“Abram believed the Lord, and he credited to him as righteousness.”
Genesis 15:6
When we believe that Jesus died not only to provided forgiveness for our sins, but also placed us in a right relationship with God the Father through our faith in Christ’s life, death and resurrection, our salvations is SEALED in heaven and kept for us, by the power of the Holy Spirit and we are adopted into the family of God, receiving an inheritance in heaven forever and ever!
1 Peter 1:3-9:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a LIVING HOPE through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an INHERITANCE that will NEVER perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance IS KEPT IN HEAVEN FOR YOU, who through FAITH are shielded by God’s POWER until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time…for you are RECEIVING the end result of your FAITH, the SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS.
Paul further explains how and why we are saved by our FAITH in CHRIST in Romans 4:1-5:
What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, discovered in this matter? If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boasts about –but not before God. What does scripture say?
“Abraham BELIEVED GOD, and it was credited to him as RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does NOT WORK but TRUSTS God who JUSTIFIES the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness APART from WORKS:
“BLESSED ARE THOSE WHO’S TRANSGRESSIONS ARE FORGIVEN,
WHOSE SINS ARE COVERED.”
Thank you Jesus, for saving me from my own sin, hypocrisy, legalism and empty rituals that lacked true relationship with you. Thank you Jesus, for rescuing me and giving me a new hope and a new future in YOU! Thank you Jesus, for suffering on the cross for my sin, destroying the evil plans of the devil, and giving me VICTORY over sin, death and hell, so that I may live again with you in heaven. Thank you Jesus, that through placing my faith and full belief in you and YOU ALONE for my salvation! You are my Almighty God, my one and only El Shaddai!
May a new heart and a new spirit rise within you this Easter Morning!
It is by FAITH in Jesus Christ that you are SAVED!
Halleujah!
I love the words of the apostle Paul found in Titus 3:3-7:
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived
and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
He SAVED US, not because of the righteous
things we had done, but because of His MERCY.
HE SAVED US
through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
whom he poured out on us generously
through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that,
having been JUSTIFIED BY HIS GRACE,
we might become HEIRS having the
HOPE of ETERNAL LIFE.
This is my hope and prayer for each soul who reads this devotional, that you will read these words of life, hope and salvation and pray to the Father, placing your faith in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation.
If you want to begin a life of faith in Jesus Christ alone, I invite you to pray these words in FAITH:
Dear God,
Forgive me for relying on anyone or anything for my salvation other than Christ. I know that in doing this, my sin has separated me from you. Thank you for sending your Son, Jesus to die in my place on the cross so I could be set free from the law of sin and death and receive the saving grace of Jesus Christ!
I ask you to forgive my sin and come into my life, and to begin directing my life.
Thank you for giving me eternal salvation and an inheritance with you that will never perish, spoil or fade.
Thank you for the saving work of grace that has placed me in a right relationship with you now, and forever more.
In Jesus Name,
Amen!
Welcome into the FAMILY OF GOD!!!
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