Tag Archive | Salvation

Don’t have a Jesus-free Christmas!

Dec4

Question:  In the hustle and bustle of the season, how can I make sure I’m keeping Christ in Christmas?

Answer:  Even dedicated Christians can sometimes find themselves consumed with every tradition of the holiday season except what’s most important.  They can forget that Jesus really is the reason for the season!  Christians know that this is the time of the year we choose to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Therefore, we should make the time and make the effort to keep Christ in our Christmas!  But, if we know this, then why don’t we do it?

Unfortunately, some Christians can get as consumed with creating the picture-perfect Christmas experience as the world does. They fill themselves with anxiety trying to get the best super sales on the most popular gifts.  Adults get worked up over seeing their peers gifting themselves with the latest “must-have” gadgets and new technology.  They wear themselves out trying to keep up with the trends of the crowd. They forget to  pause, reflect, and be thankful for the greatest gift – Jesus Christ.

Likewise, many Christian families find themselves in turmoil during this season.  Married couples fight over which in-laws they are going to spend Christmas Day with.  Parents argue over how much money they are going to spend to make sure their children have this year’s hottest toys. They fill the family calendar with so many seasonal activities that they find themselves exhausted.  Yet, they fail to make time for the most important things – reading, meditating on, and discussing God’s Word.

Most importantly, during this season of spending extra time with family and friends, too many Christians fail to include in their discussions talk of their walk with the Lord.  They tend not to share with their family and friends how God has brought them faithfully through this year.  They are willing to talk about everything else but Jesus.  It doesn’t have to be this way.

Don’t have a Jesus-free Christmas!  See that you and your family are keeping Christ in Christmas. There are many ways you can do this.  For example, plan to take your family to a church Christmas program that tells the story of Christ’s birth.  While decorating the tree, play or sing Christmas hymns that give praise to our Lord.  Make sure to share with your family and friends how God has blessed you this year.  And, always make sure your family knows the story of the birth of our Savior.  Luke 2: 1-20 spells out in detail how Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  This Bible passage may be one you’d even want to read aloud together.  Listen to a reading of this account by clicking here  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCKpwaRxIww&feature=youtube_gdata .

And, have a very Merry CHRISTmas!

Helpful Links:

Focus on the Family    www.focusonthefamily.com

Crown Financial Ministries   http://www.crown.org

The Christian Broadcasting Network  www.cbn.com

World Magazine   http://www.worldmag.com

(Re-posted from my Dec. 2014 Blog Post)

Thank God for second chances!

Nov6

Question: I’m afraid I’ve messed up so many times God won’t forgive me again. Am I right?

Answer: No. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ( 1 John 1:9 NKJV)  God looks at our hearts. He knows when we are being sincere in our requests for His forgiveness or just saying words we don’t really mean.  He also knows that we will keep “messing up” at times because we are all sinners.  So, as we seek forgiveness, we must also pray for God to help us repent, or turn away from, our sins and live our lives to please Him.

And, just as we want God to forgive us when we sin and give us another chance to start over, God expects us to forgive others. He does not want us to be like the servant described in Matthew 18:23-35.  In this story, we see how the king granted one person forgiveness of the enormous debt he owed the king. But, this same person refused to extend that same type of forgiveness to someone else who owed him a much smaller debt.  This person ended up suffering punishment for his failure to forgive.  In Luke 17:3, Jesus says, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”

However, just because we are expected to forgive, it doesn’t mean we stop being wise.  God also gives us wisdom. The Apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 5:17, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”  If someone is abusing you or committing some other sin,  the Bible tells us that is wrong. That would not be God’s best for your life.  You can and should forgive and pray for others without tolerating their sin.

Remember that because God loves us and extends His grace to us, He will give us another chance when we mess up.  He will forgive us of our sins if we ask Him with a sincere heart.  God wants us to repent of our sins and live our lives to please Him.  We start to please Him when we accept  His only Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. Jesus is the only One God gave us who took the punishment of death we deserved for our sins.  Since sin separates us from a holy God, we can only go to Heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, asking forgiveness,  and repenting of our sins.

Thank God for second chances!

(Re-posted from my June 7, 2017 Blog Post)

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What’s standing in your way?

Aug7

Question: How do I help people understand that they can’t earn their way to Heaven?

Answer: Start by clearly explaining that no one is perfect. We have all sinned. Romans 3:23 says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (NKJV).  Our sin separates us from God in Heaven, who is holy. That's why we all need a savior. And God's desire is that none perish, so He made the way for us to go to Heaven. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16) 

Since the punishment for our sin before a righteous God is death, Jesus Christ, God's only Son, was sent by God to save us. Jesus Christ, Himself sinless, died on the cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sin! He rose to life again on the third day to go live with our Father in Heaven. He sacrificed Himself for us!  

All that is left for each of us to do is to accept Jesus Christ as our one and only Lord and Savior.  We need to pray and ask Jesus to forgive us of all our sins, and we need to repent of our sins.  In making this change, we should no longer seek to live only to please ourselves. Instead, our desire should be to want to please God first by loving Him and following the teachings of His Holy Word, the Bible! The Apostle Paul describes this change as putting off "the old man" and putting on "the new man."  (Read Ephesians 4:17-32)

Even though through His grace, God has provided us with His free gift of salvation, most people still choose to reject His Gift. Many people prefer to live by their own rules and foolishly think that they can decide on their own what are the right and wrong ways to live. Others mistakenly believe that there are many gods and many ways to Heaven.  But, the truth is that God has provided only ONE way to everlasting life in Heaven. And that way is by accepting His Son Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.  Jesus Christ, Himself said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6)  Can it be stated any clearer than that?

Still, many people will try to change God's plan for salvation to make it sound more complicated.  They might make salvation sound like it is for people who must live without any joy in their lives. This tends to make the young  postpone or outright reject salvation because they think they won't have any more "fun" in their lives. But they need to know the truth.  If by fun they mean sinful living, they will be living only to please Satan. Satan's ultimate goal is to harm you. Jesus said, "The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly."  (John 10:10)

Also, this false teaching that you must already be living righteously to accept Christ can make the older unsaved feel that it is too late for them. This is not true!  In fact, as long as you are alive and in your right mind, you can choose to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior!  But since you can die at any age from many different causes, it's better to accept Christ sooner than waiting until it is too late!  Once you die, you don't come back. There are no second chances.

And, as far as trying to earn your way to Heaven, put simply, you can't!  Because you are not perfect like God you will mess up or fail to do right --at least sometimes. Plus, you could never do enough good deeds or man-made rituals (superstitious actions never given by God) to earn your way to Heaven.  Ephesians 2:8-9 says, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast."

So stop letting excuses stand in your way. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior today! Pray for God's Holy Spirit to guide you as you live by putting Him first. And Enjoy your new life in Christ!

Can we just get to the bottom line?

Mar6

Question: Since I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, does God have the same expectations of me as those who were?

Answer: No matter how you were raised, God has given each one of us a choice. As Joshua said to the Israelites in the days after God had given them victory over their enemies: “…choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…” (Joshua 24:15 NKJV). God has given us the free will to choose to follow Him or follow Satan.

We have only two choices. There isn’t a third choice for all who are old enough and mentally able to understand. He tells us in His Holy Word that we are all sinners in need of a Savior. As such, we cannot enter Heaven being unrighteous, to be with our righteous God. But since our God is a loving God, He made the way for us to still be able to go to Heaven. (John 3:16) That one and only way is by accepting God’s Son Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior!

The Scriptures summarize these truths in Romans 6: 23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Jesus Christ was put to death on the cross to take the punishment we deserve for our sins. He rose to life again on the third day afterwards and lives forever with our Father God in Heaven!

Once we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior, God wants us to live our lives to please Him. We do this by putting God first in our lives. We put Him first by studying and growing in the knowledge of His Word. We make all of our decisions based on which choices would be pleasing to our Lord. For example, by studying scripture, we know that we do not please God if we support actions and behaviors that He calls sinful. (See Galatians 5:16-26) And all along the way, we are to pray for His Holy Spirit to guide us and keep us from all unrighteousness!

So the bottom line is: God has given each of us free will to choose to serve Him or to serve Satan. We cannot earn our way to Heaven. We can get there only by understanding that we are saved by God’s grace through accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Through Him, we are to ask forgiveness of our sins, turn away from of our sins, and live our lives for the Lord.

We can choose to turn away from God and not be obedient to His teachings. If we make this choice and end up in hell, we have no one to blame but ourselves. We can’t blame our bad parents. We can’t blame evil people in the world. We can’t even blame the hypocrites we might find in church. God expects each of us to take responsibility for our own choices.

So choose wisely — eternal damnation with Satan in hell, or eternal life in Heaven with God. God loves you and wants you to choose Jesus Christ as your Savior so you can go to Heaven. Do this — and you’ll be forever thankful that you did!