Saturday June 24, 2006
Since somehow I managed to post today's devotion yesterday, and never saw Friday's at all, I have nothing to post here but my own feeble words.
Over the last few months the Gospel has become real to me in a new and wonderful way. Always I have known that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ. But somehow just what that meant eluded me. The truth of it is this, Jesus Christ did it all! There is nothing I can add to it. Even the faith I have is His faith, given to me for my salvation. This is all so glorious I find myself wanting to put exclamation points after every word. !!!! Glory! :-)
God gives me the faith, if I find myself willing to listen to the Gospel, if I find the Word of God compelling or feel the weight of my sins and begin to call out to the Lord for forgiveness, all that is His doing, not mine! In my own flesh I am an enemy of God. We all are born rebels against God, only His working in us makes us willing to listen and His power and His Spirit calls us back to Him.
There is nothing at all we bring to God but our sins. We can't go and meet Him half way, working our way to God. No, He has come all the way to us, picked us up and carries us home. What do you say to someone who has given you a such a great gift? You say say "Thank you."
Christ comes to us and
gives us faith, we say thank you at that moment because we have been made alive when we were dead. The idea that there is anything at all that
we do to make ourselves into Christians is an insult to the work of Christ, or so it seems to me.
And now I have nothing else to say. Amen.
Daily readings
Saturday
Proverbs 25:15-28 1 Timothy 6:6-21 Matthew 13:36-43