Thought for Friday 22 April

 Ephesians 2:8-9.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is a gift of God not of works, lest anyone should boast. 
 

I am often amazed when people tell me they are ‘not good enough’ to be Christian. One in particular tells me that he has done too many bad things for God to want him.

Now, he is baptised, went to Sunday school; bible class, was in the Boys Brigade, he believes. However he cannot reconcile his actions in the army with a future as a Christian, No matter how many times I tell him that he only has to ask forgiveness for his previous deeds and accept the gift of grace, there is nothing he has done or can do to be excluded by God, Jesus has already paid for all of our sins it on the cross. All we have to do is believe, believe that Christ is the Son of God and that He died on a cruel cross to make all of us worthy to join His ranks.

No Christian is worthy, by their own works, to be called children of God but all of us have been called, we only have to say ‘yes’ and accept the grace and forgiveness offered.

It is the grace of God and our own faith in the death and resurrection of God’s Son that makes us worthy! Never forget that we don’t need to ‘do’ anything to earn God’s love and a place in heaven.

Some people think they have to do so many ‘good works’ to get to heaven, they don’t realise that it doesn’t work that way. The works come as we want to please God. Just as when we love someone on earth, we want to please them and make them happy, so as we love God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we should be trying to please Him by helping His children everywhere, as our own means allow.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6. 

 

Prayer

Forgiving Father, thank You for the grace and forgiveness You offer us if only we would come to You. Help us to bring others to faith by making it clear that we are saved by faith and not by works. Help us to carry out the tasks You set for us, not because we ‘need to’ but because we love you. We ask in the name of Jesus, who died to make this gift of grace free to us and without strings, amen.