This is the Way

 The book of Acts is interesting because it highlights the infancy of the Christian Church. It shows us the growth of the church and the transformation and conversion of new believers.

Here is this week's Bible Verse.

VERSE:             Acts 4:12

Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

REFLECTION:

What name do you think Peter was speaking about? The verse before this one gives us that answer. It is important, whenever you are reading the Bible, not to take verses out of context; be sure to read the verses before and after to make sure the whole meaning is understood.

Peter was speaking about Jesus Christ. He was preaching to the people and telling them that Jesus is the only way to salvation. My Bible explains this verse by noting that there are two religious paths: the broad way of works-salvation, which leads to death, and the narrow way of faith in Jesus Christ, which leads to eternal life. 

The early church was often referred to as "The Way". Taking this from Jesus' own words in John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me". The early church and even today's Christian church wants everyone to know that it is only through faith in Jesus Christ that one can get to Heaven.

If you have watched The Mandalorian, he says "This is the Way" in many episodes. It is interesting because if you do some research on what that means in the fictional world of Star Wars, you will find it is a sacred mantra of the Mandalorians. They were faithful to their code and their way. Likewise, as Christians we need to be faithful to Jesus and believe that He died and rose to save us from our sins and there isn't a code of conduct (being good or doing works) that is the way to heaven. The only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. 

PRAYER:

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you for the early church believers who knew the truth and were willing tio share The Way so us believers can continue to spread the good news of Jesus Christ. Please embolden us to share the Way with others so we can help further and grow the kingdom of God. In Jesus Name Amen.

Hope you enjoyed today's verse. 

Not Working Toward Heaven

 Here is this week's Bible Verse.

VERSE:                   Ephesians 2:8-9

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.

REFLECTION:

This week I'm going to piggyback off of last week's verse in Romans. If you didn't read last week's blog, please do so to refresh your memory. 

There are many people and even Christian denominations that teach people that to be saved, you must do works. Basically, you must be doing things that will earn your way to Heaven. These verses today tell us this is simply not true. We are saved through faith in Jesus Christ and not by anything we can do. This is a difficult concept for many of us to understand because our world/society is built on the premise of working your way to the top. We find ourselves doing this in almost everything we do, and we usually don't just do it quietly; we boast about it, we let others know how great we are.

Take sporting events, for instance. When someone scores a touchdown, hits a home run, or scores a goal, they celebrate; they crave the applause from the fans. They want everyone to know how great they are at that sport. However that is their job, that is what they are getting paid to do.

This world doesn't work the same way as God's world. We may be in this world but we are not of this world. Things always work differently when we are talking about things of God. The only thing we can do that will get us to heaven is to have faith in Jesus Christ and believe that he died on the cross for your sins and completed it by be risen from the dead. When or if you have done this then tell others but don't boast about it but instead glorify and honor God for the work He is doing in your life. 

PRAYER:

Dear Father in heaven you are worthy of our praise. Thank you for your grace and the free gift of Jesus Christ. Help me Lord to be less prideful and recognize that you are the author and finisher of my life and there is nothing I can do to earn my way to heaven. Amen.

Hope you enjoyed today's verse. 

Desert or Promised Land

 Here is this week's Bible Verse.

VERSE:                   Romans 3:23-24

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

REFLECTION:

The other day I was listening to the radio, and the song "Good" by Matthew West came on, and it really got me thinking about these verses in Romans. The whole book of Romans is about sin and God's unfailing grace.

There are a lot of people out there today, I was one of them, who believes that if you are just a good person you will go to heaven. Follow those 10 commandments and that is your ticket to the promised land. That is absolutely not true. These verses tell us that every one of us have sinned and are destined to die but we can be justified and saved by the grace of God. What must we do?

Humble Ourselves to God:

Admit that we are sinners:

Turn away from our sins:

Accept the free gift of Jesus Christ dying on the cross for our sins.

 Think of the Old Testament Israelites and their inability to enter the promised land. The reason they weren't allowed to enter was their disobedience to God and their continual living in sin. They wandered around in the desert for years because they refused to humble themselves and be obedient to God.

We are the Israelites. Until we admit we are sinners, turn from our ways and accept that Jesus Christ is our Savior we will continue to wander in the desert of sin and be away from the promised land forever.

Don't be like the Israelites. Come into the promised land by accepting Jesus Christ as your Savior. 

PRAYER:

Father in heaven you are worthy of our praise. Thank you for your grace and the free gift of Jesus Christ. I humble myself to you and recognize that I am a sinner I accept Jesus as my Savior and Lord and look forward to a life out of the hot desert of sin and into the glorious beauty of the Promised Land. Amen.

Here is a link to the Video by Matthew West. Good

Hope you enjoyed today's verse.