March 18th 2016
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16
This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, – Romans 3:22
OUR ASSURANCE
It’s by faith/belief that we are saved through accepting the free gift offered through God’s grace. Remember the two thieves that were crucified with Christ? One rejects Jesus as Lord, the other confessed with his mouth and believed in his heart that Jesus was Lord (Romans 10:9) and Christ promised him eternal salvation.
What is “believing in your heart”? Remember that James says, “Even the demons believe and shudder” (James 2:19). Believing in your heart is a belief that penetrates to the deepest fiber within us. It’s a belief that reveals itself in how we live and what we do, even how we think and what we say. It permeates all aspects of our lives. If we focus our eyes and minds on Jesus and eternity the spirit helps, reminds, convicts and directs our thoughts toward eternity with God rather than this life and the things of this world.
Let’s challenge ourselves to a deeper, “belief in our hearts”, a faith which results in living our lives for HIM. I believe that Jesus was so successful in living a sin free life here on earth because of HIS laser beam focus on HIS heavenly Father. With that in mind, my prayer for all of us is, “Lord give us a Christ like faith and strength to live, regardless of our circumstances, every moment of our lives for you Lord”.
In Jesus name! Amen
– Steve Michael