Grace to You, A Gift from God, Your Father!

Greetings!
May you walk by faith and not by sight!

Romans 6:23 says; "for the wages of sin is death, but the Gift of God is Eternal Life through JESUS CHRIST, our LORD"

We can not buy this gift We can not pay enough penance. We can not suffer enough for it. We can not give enough, and we can not do enough to earn this gift. It is unmerited, undeserved, and there is absolutely nothing we can do to obtain this free gift......but to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and savior of all mankind (whosoever will believe on Him), to know that he died for our sins, he paid the penalty, once for all, the perfect and final sacrifice! To know that He was raised from the dead, and became the victor over sin and the grave for us; to know the Holy One is understanding!

Ephesians 2:8-9 tells us that, "For by grace are you saved through faith, and that NOT of yourselves, it is the GIFT of GOD, not of works lest any man should boast" You may walk a million miles barefoot, you may climb a million mountains, you may fast until you are a wisp of flesh, but it will do you no good! You may pay alms or gifts to the poor until you have not a penny, and these are good, but they will not bring salvation, forgiveness, or righteousness.

We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. None is righteous. We have disobeyed the God of the universe, the creator of all things. The only way to have a relationship with Him is through Jesus. Jesus paid our sin debt once and for all. In John 14:6 we read that Jesus said, "I am the WAY, the TRUTH and the LIFE, no man cometh unto the Father, but by ME" There is no saint, no prophet, no ritual that will get you through to the Father....only through Christ Jesus will the Father receive you or your petitions! Only through Him will you ever be saved and receive eternal life!

There is ONE mediator between man and God: I Timothy 2:5 says, "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the one Christ Jesus."

There is one Father, therefore Jesus said in Matthew 23:9, "And call no man your Father upon this earth, for one is your Father, which is in heaven."

Jesus, Himself says that HE stands at the door and knocks, there is no other who can do this! Revelation 3:20 tells us; "behold, I stand at the door and knock, if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in and sup with him, and he with Me."

Jesus has this free gift of salvation, eternal life, and we just need to answer His call and receive the gift! We are accountable for our salvation. The Bible says that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God, the Father (Phillipians 2:10-12)Wouldn't you rather bow to Him now, than at judgement day..unsaved!?

Work out your OWN salvation with fear and trembling! Why would you allow someone else to tell you about your own salvation...something that is so critical, so eternal? Why would you not want to know the truth for yourself? II Timothy 2:15 tells you to study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the WORD of TRUTH! (Remember; JESUS is the WORD and JESUS is the TRUTH!) The Word is living and dynamic. Study it for yourself! Hunger and thirst for it!

I do not bow or pray before icons or idols! God says that we are to have no other Gods, and that we are not to make an image or an idol to pray before (or to). in Exodus 20:4-5 we read, "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or likeness....thou shalt not bow down to them, nor serve them..." We, as humans can also set up idols in our hearts and minds, we must not allow this to happen, either. Christ will help us guard our hearts and minds. (Phillipians 4:6-7)

Isaiah tells us that God has said that anyone who makes a graven image (or icon) shall be ashamed and it is vanity. Read Isaiah chapter 44!

Isaiah also tells us that He was wounded for our transgressions and He was bruised for our iniquity.( Isaiah ch. 53) Jesus is the Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world. He did this for me! What more could be added to what He did? He said on the cross, "it is finished!" He was the perfect, sinless sacrifice. His work on the cross completed the atonement, satisfied the wrath of a Holy and Righteous God, He bought us with His life, He paid the debt...we can pay no more!

When we confess our sins and confess Jesus Christ as Lord, and when we repent (meaning a complete surrender and turning from sin), and when we ask Him to be Lord of our life, when we walk in newness of life with Christ as our strength and the Holy Spirit as our guide and counselor, when we are baptised into Him and are raised in Him, we are a new creature.

Let us live as new creatures. Let us "be ye Holy, for I am Holy".
I Corinthians 3:17-18 says, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defiles the temple of God, him shall God destroy, for the temple of God is Holy, which temple you are"

It is my prayer that anyone reading this may hunger for "the Bread of Heaven" and may thirst for "The Living Water" The book of John says that in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was GOD, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-14).

Jesus IS the Word, He IS the BREAD of LIFE. He IS the Living Water. If we consume His WORD, if we desire to know HIM, He will reveal Himself to us (Jeremiah 33:3; "call unto Me, and I will answer thee and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not")

Life is so short and our time on earth is but a wisp, a fleeting moment, and we are gone....we can not put off so great a thing as our salvation! We live and breathe and have our being in Him!

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. (I Thessalonians 5:16-17

The Fishermens Line