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But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness Gal 5:22 |
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Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for collecting daily manna), make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Monday, May 01, 2017
Today's Passage : Subject:The Illusion of Good Deeds Bible Verse:Romans 9:30-33 (ESV) "What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame."" Message:
When the Jewish Messiah finally appeared, comparatively few Jews recognized Him or honored Him. They had been working, fighting, and keeping (more or less) the difficult laws of Moses for thousands of years, just so that they would be ready when their savior appeared. So when Jesus came, why were so few ready to follow him?
The answer is, because they became blindly accustomed to good works as the source of their righteousness. The quote by Paul is an intentional parody of Isaiah; the original verse read, "I lay a stone in Zion . . . a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation." Thus, salvation often seemed to come more easily to Gentiles, who were hungry for God and "poor in spirit", than to the Jews who had become proud and rigid.
How many people still make the same mistake? It is very common, at least in the United States. There is a great segment of the population who want to lead "good lives" and whose theology is, simply put: "If I lead a good life, I will go to heaven when I die. All those bad people will go to hell."
Those who truly believe in Christ will indeed (hopefully!) lead what is called a "good life". But we must be very clear about one thing: It is the faith, and not the deeds, that saves us from the wages of sin; for we are all sinners and we all fall short of glory of God. None of us has the required degree of "goodness" to survive the final judgment.
We must always remember that our salvation is a cherished gift, especially when we are tempted to become proud in our heart and judge others. We must always remember the Jews, who stumbled so badly over their pride in following God's law. They got so caught up in correct behavior, that they lost the very salvation they sought so arduously.
Meditation : Prayer : Heavenly Lord, I know I am not alone saying these prayers or reading your Word this morning, but many people unknown to me, from all stations of life, have joined together in this brief moment of devotion. May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be among the community of all who pray in the name of Christ this morning, and remain among us always. Amen. |
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