Daily Bread 8-11-17
Ephesians 2:7,8
7 That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
ref. - Ro 4:16 - Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to only that which is of the law, but to that which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Jn 6:44 - No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.
It is the gift of God. We must realize that everything pertaining to the Spirit is a gift of God. We have a future only because God allows it. The proof that this gospel is for us is the fact that we are reading this right now. We must begin to realize that all good things do come from above and that they are not of this world. His purpose for keeping us around is so that he might "hammer" into us that his grace and mercy is what we need to get through this life. The only thing that we can really do is to come to him with a little bit of faith. Easier said than done, you say? Well, this proves my point of why we are still dwelling on this rock. He is still showing us what he can do daily. In the hearts, minds, and souls, of thousands if not millions of people, he has already performed miracles and is still performing miracles. We see these miracles but what he wants for us is to experience them in us. For us not to say, "that's not for me, it's for them", but for us to know that what God has to offer IS for us. It is for all mankind that has been exposed to the gospel of Christ. Have you heard of Christ yet? Have you heard the stories? Have you heard of salvation? Faith? Baptism? Holy Ghost? If you have already heard of these things then you are made to be partakers of the same. You see, God is not going to give information to someone that he doesn't want to capitalize on it. His will is for us to accept and absorb what we are being taught, and to have just enough faith to follow it and become obedient to it. If what we are being taught is false, it will be exposed and replaced by sound doctrine. But if it is the truth, it will keep coming at us until we actually do believe, if only even in part, that what Christ has brought to us is for us. So, today, if you are reading this message, know this; Jesus Christ died on a cross for us to have a chance at forgiveness of sins and redemption. This forgiveness of sins will lead to eternal life if we stay on the path that is led us by Jesus Christ. It will contain some sacrifice but more importantly it will contain obedience. This obedience will not start at man but at Christ. It will also lead to obedience to men of God, but it all starts with Christ. You have been drawn, you have been called, now will you be chosen? That is up to you!!! Have a great day!!!