Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Saved by Grace

I remember asking Jesus into my heart when I was five years old.. I remember the church, Praise Temple, in Littlefield, Texas.  When I think back, I can recall standing outside of the church, telling my parents and their joy.  From that day forward, I have not lived with out sinning, but I have lived a life pressing forward and trying to honor God.  

We are all born into this world with what the Bible calls a sin nature, but when we make the decision to follow Christ, to repent of our sins, then we are called the righteous, this does not mean that we are without sin, but rather we are called to live a life that turns from sin.  There is not one person that has made the decision to follow Christ that has not been tempted to sin or given into sin.  Living for Christ is a daily choice!  Being a Christian isn't just a label, you are not a Christian just because you go to church, belong to an denomination,  or know the Bible.  NO, we are Christians because we follow the life that Christ lived in the 33 years here on this earth and because we have acknowledged his sacrifice and repented of our sins.  He died for our sins. When we repent of our sins, we are forgiven and made righteous or made in right standing with Him. Can we stand with Him if we are sinners

Romans 10:9-11(New King James Version) says, 
9 Thatif you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”  

If we are still "sinners" we should be ashamed, but if we've been forgiven and we believe what the Bible says, we should not be ashamed. Webster's Dictionary defines salvation as: deliverance from the power and effects of sin. We are forgiven only by grace,  only by the blood that Jesus shed at the Cross.

I am certain that I, just like anyone else, will sin again before the end of my time on this earth. We all make the choice to live by how the Bible instructs us to live or to live a life that opposes that instruction. We fail, maybe even over and over, but when we come to God and repent (Webster's dictionary: to turn from sin and dedicate oneself to the amendment of one's life), then we are forgiven. 

Romans 3:23-27(New Living Translation) says: 
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.
24 Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
25 For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,
26 for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he declares sinners to be right in his sight when they believe in Jesus.

My hope is that if you look at my life, you will see someone that is working at building a relationship with Christ, a girl just trying to live a life that honors God. I am not perfect, nor will I ever be perfect on this earth.  Heaven is the only place without sin.. and until I get there, I'm going to look at the example that Christ set for me, be grateful for His sacrifice for my sin, and live a victorious, righteous life because that is what He desires for me!

1 comment:

a39greenway said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.