When you keep in remembrance how wretched you were before Christ saved you, it will be easy to live ever grateful unto the Lord of glory for giving you this eternal life you are enjoying today.
Many people preach salvation as an escape ticket away from hell. But how many times have you heard it preached as a gift from God to you? Ephesians 2:8 tells us that we, believers, are saved by grace through faith. That’s not all. It says this salvation is not of ourselves. Instead, it is the gift of God.
It is not always easy. But with God on your side, it is well with you. Witness Jesus well wherever you are, no matter the situation. If he was with Paul and had helped his work remain relevant in this generation, then indeed, He has not neglected your secret labours. He will reward you well.
Unbelievers’ spirits are insensitive to God’s promptings. Such people are asleep and are in the power of darkness (see Colossians 1:13) because their lives are under the control of the evil one. Unto such people, the scripture tells them to wake up and rise from the dead (spiritual inactivity before God), and then Christ will shine on them.
Even though the law of sin works in every unbeliever, one can be set free from sin by God’s deliverance (salvation) through Jesus Christ our Lord. So, if you are saved, you have been set free from sin and its entire consequences. Why? Because Christ Jesus has delivered you from God’s wrath.
The Bible says there was a time when we were God’s enemies because of sin. But God, knowing how helpless we are without Him, chose to send Jesus to come and die for us so we can get reconciled back to Him. Today, if you are reading this, I want you to know that you are not God’s enemy. You are His beloved.
By reason of Jesus’ atonement for the sin of the world, He has taken away that which separated man from God, paving an accessible way for anybody to come closer to God without guilt or condemnation. That was even signalled when the veil in the Jewish temple between the holies and the most holy place was torn into two (see Matthew 27:51).
Salvation, the most precious gift God will ever give to anybody who is an unbeliever, cost Jesus’ life. Though it is a free gift from God, it isn’t cheap because the Son of man died for us when we were unworthy. No believer, including you and I, is ever qualified to get salvation from God. That is why the Bible says it is by grace we have been saved. Think about that!
When the Bible says you were dead in your trespasses and sins, guess what it means? It meant that while you didn’t know God, the consciousness even to convict yourself that the actions you are doing are sinful isn’t even part of your thoughts. That explains why evil is constantly going on in this generation without mercy. Hmm!
Please be careful to speak nicely to people you meet, especially for the first time. Remember that the Bible encourages us to be hospitable to strangers because we don’t know whether we may encounter angels unawares (see Hebrews 13:2). People are valuable; don’t treat them as trash cans.
The Christian has life, but that life is the life of Jesus operational in Him. On the other hand, the unbeliever does not have life because he doesn’t have Jesus. So, here is truth. The God-kind of life surpasses anything you can see in this world. Don’t be deceived.
Don’t let the passing pleasures of the world tell you that it is pointless to live a godly life in this perverse generation. There is more enjoyment in God than you can ever think of. Draw near to Him, and love Him with all your heart, soul and mind. He will never leave nor forsake you.
