25 September

Ephesians 4:32
 32Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.


C. Swindoll posted two questions on his article entitled "Expecting Perfection and Accepting Humanity" :

1. How can something as marvelous as forgiveness of sins and eternal salvation be free?
2. How can that person claim to be a Christian and act like that?

Very interesting. There are things that we own and value on this earth that don't come in cheap (a pimped ride, elegant house); hence, we are likely to think that something as precious as heaven involves a big price to pay. And we are also likely to think that that payment is something that we have to shell out, out of our own "righteous" ways - but we're wrong. When Jesus died on the cross, there is already a redemption. Romans 10:9 states the availability of salvation, and there are only a couple of verbs - confess and believe - which tells us of the only action and state of being. . .our only righteous ways.

Romans 10:9
That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

It says "believe in your heart" which is not the same as merely having an idea about the atonement of Jesus. When we believe in something so profound, it entails commitment like when we believe that our parents or friends or spouse loves us, we commit ourselves into not taking them for granted, commit ourselves into being the best person for them, commit ourselves into not hurting their feelings. Do we have that same commitment to God?

When we commit ourselves to God, we focus solely on Him. There are times, however, when we become disheartened by people around us who couldn't care less, whom we think exist only to contribute to the heartaches and distress. And yes, even our brothers and sisters in church can cause such distress! When we see other Christians behaving in a disagreeable way, we lose heart. We tend to judge the church even. But when we commit ourselves to the Lord and allow Him to live in us, He then allows us to partake in His wonderful promises, one of which is found in John 16:33

John 16:33
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

The Lord says, "I have overcome the world." Just Him. Nothing else.

Branching out:

Take a look at the books on your shelves. Can you possibly count the number of pages of all the books that you've read? Get a bible and find out how many pages it has. Does it even come close to the number of pages of the other books that you've finished reading?