Easter Sunday marked the commemoration of the greatest sacrifice ever made. Truly, His crucifixion is an event that we should look to and recall with complete humility and gratitude. However, its His resurrection that gives us great perspective and empowerment for the life we’ve been called to live.
WE have everything we need to live a life that pleases God. It was all given to us by God’s own power.
(2 Peter 1:3 CEV)
Settle this in your heart and dont let this knowledge slip away. WE have everything it takes to live a life that pleases our heavenly Father. God is the One who spoke these words through Peter. His Word is true and unchangeable. Never at any time accept the lie that you dont have what it takes to please God. The fact is you do!
I know the next question: What is the power that has been miraculously given to us that enables us to please God? The answer is, His grace.
Grace. Much has been communicated about grace in recent times, yet it still isnt fully understood by so many. Grace is without a doubt one of the most, if not the most, important truths a New Testament believer should grasp because its the very foundation of our salvation and life in Christ.
We are told:
For it is by free grace (God’s unmerited favor) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ’s salvation) through [your] faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [of your own doing, it came not through your own striving], but it is the gift of God; not because of works [not the fulfillment of the Laws demands], lest any man should boast.
[It is not the result of what anyone can possibly do, so no one can pride himself in it or take glory to himself.]
(Eph. 2:8-9 AMP)
That sums up our salvation in a nutshell. It is by the grace of Jesus Christ that our sins have been eradicated and forever removed as far as the east is from the west. When we stand before the judgment seat, if God asks why we should enter into His kingdom, it will certainly not be because of our good behavior, weekly church attendance, faithful service, life of ministry, or any goodness on our part.
We will find acceptance from God because of what Jesus did on the cross two thousand years ago by shedding His own royal blood, dying a gruesome death, to free us from slavery. Nothing else could have freed us!
In believing in Jesus sacrifice and committing our lives to His lordship, we can stand before God with confidence!
John and Lisa cofounded Messenger International in 1990. Over the last few decades, Messenger has grown into a discipleship organization that makes millions of resources available to people across the globe, regardless of their location, language, or financial position. John and Lisa are also best-selling authors and international speakers. When they’re at home in beautiful Tennessee, you’ll find John chasing a golf ball while Lisa is whipping up her latest coffee concoction.