To Completion

There are two great tragedies within the Christian faith today. The
first is that many who believe they are on their way to Heaven will one
day find they are sadly mistaken. This tragedy must be fought by
speaking the truth about Salvation. We must teach of the need to trust
in the saving grace offered through the sacrifice of Jesus for the
forgiveness of sin. We must teach that faith in Jesus Christ - the Lord
and Savior clearly presented in God's Word - is the ONLY way to spend
eternity in Heaven.

The second great tragedy is that many who have truly trusted in Jesus
for the forgiveness of sin, and desire to love Him and serve Him with
all their heart, will live their earthly days full of doubt and fear.
We must also fight this tragedy by speaking the truth about Salvation.
Many who are on their way to Heaven begin to doubt when they don't feel
worthy or "good enough" to deserve such a gift. As they draw closer to
the light, their failures are revealed and they become discouraged or
try to "work" harder to please God and gain His acceptance.

But the glorious truth is that none of us are good enough! "For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Without God's
grace, no one can ever hope to hit the mark of His perfect glory.

We don't enter Heaven based on what we've done - only on whom we've
placed our faith; "For it is by grace you have been saved, through
faith" (Ephesians 2:8). At the moment of Salvation, we become an
eternal Child of God: "You are not your own; you were bought at a price"
(1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We were purchased with the blood of Jesus and
have become a "new creation: the old has gone, the new has come" (2
Corinthians 5:17).

We are "born again" when the Spirit of God transforms our heart; and as
a new creation, we must learn to crawl, then walk, and one day run! We
may sometimes stumble, but God promises we will continue to grow; for
it's His plan that ALL His children become "conformed to the likeness of
His Son" (Romans 8:29), and conforming is definitely a process!

Philippians 1:6
"Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will
carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

On the day of our Salvation, God began His work in us. He gave us His
Holy Spirit and "sealed {us} for the day of redemption" (Ephesians
4:30). Let's be confident in God's promise. We must continue to draw
closer and give Him more of our heart, but we must also remember that we
are His and He WILL finish the work He began. Our Heavenly Father has
promised to carry us to completion.

Have a Great Day!

Steve Troxel
God's Daily Word Ministries

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