“For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared...”
April 18, 2023
We’re blessed because God loves us. That’s grace. God doesn’t love us because we’re valuable; we’re valuable because God loves us. That’s what the Gospel is all about.
Those of you trying to work your way to Heaven, how are you going to do it? You don’t have any righteousness. There is nothing you can do that will take away what you’ve already done. It is not subtraction. There is nothing you can stop doing; you'll still be missing reconciliation with God. What I’m trying to say is sin is sin, and it must be atoned for. If you try anything other than the grace of God, it will never work.
I read somewhere about a man who fell out of a rowboat into the Niagara River. The river was flowing toward the falls, and they tried to save him, so they threw him a rope. He held the rope for a while, but then he saw a log coming past and let go of the rope to grab hold of the log. No matter what else you hold onto, if you are not linked by the rope of grace to the heart of God, you’re going to perish. Salvation is not by works of righteousness, but according to His mercy—He saved us.
Write down some “good works” you have done recently. Surrender those things to God.
I try to unplug each morning with Jesus with just my rocking chair, my Bible, and a pen.
Having a secret place is very important because I know that Jesus is always there waiting for me. I know where I can find Him! His presence is everywhere, but there are places where it is so thick you can cut it with a knife. You may not even have a front porch, but there is a secret place for you as well. God’s invitations are for anyone who will respond. There is no more important request than the one found in Psalm 27:8: “My heart has heard You say, ‘Come and talk with Me.’ And my heart responds, ‘Lord, I am coming.’”