Saved or No?

Most of the time we are consumed with the thought, "Am I saved or not?".  I have to remind myself so many times that the blood of Jesus is able to save even me to the very uttermost.  His blood covers my sins of the past and of the future.  The enemy constantly stands before God accusing us of being ungodly.  Unfortunately, we listen to him far more than we listen to the Word of the Lord.

How can we know we are saved?  I John 5:13:

"I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God that you may know that you have eternal life".

Our Spirit bears witness with the Holy Spirit of God.  We want Christ!  We know when we sin because the Holy Spirit convicts us and we repent.  We want what God wants.  He wants us to live Holy lives.  He wants us to put Him first above everything else.  He wants us to listen to His Word and obey it for this honors Him. 

We strive, but fall short of all these things and yet He still keeps us...II Timothy 2:13: 

 

"If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself".  If you are reading this and agreeing dear friend, then His blood has covered you in redemption!  Rejoice!



The Visit

Shortley after my conversion in 1977, the pastor's wife asked me to go along with her to visit an elderly woman in Hospice care.  She was ninety years of age.  The daughter was there.  She was not a believer and was against us going in to see her Mother.  She became very angry and told us to leave.  The pastor's wife held the Bible up to her and told her that she would be back because the Lord wanted her to come back for one more visit.  To my knowledge she never went back.

When I went back to visit the elderly lady the daughter was not there.  As I sat by her bedside I talked to her about eternity and God.  She was in great pain.  She told me that she had grown up in the Church and had heard all of that!  She turned her face to the wall and refused to talk to me anymore, so I left.

On my way home I thought "The visit was a failure".  Being a brand new Christian I didn't know that the Word of God will either touch a soul when it goes out or it will drive that soul away.  How many people grow up in the Church and do not know God?  Today, I know that everyone wants to go to heaven, but not all will.  We would do well to think on what the Word says in II Corinthians 13:5: 

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?  John Calvin taught that one should not look to his works for assurance of salvation. He said we should look to Christ, the object of our faith.

Good Deeds

We are the most giving nation in the world.  We pour out our money, time, and sweat in times of need for others.  Our middle name is 'good deeds'.  Men and women travel thousands of miles in times of disaster to help people who are complete strangers.  The drive in our nation to help others in time of need is phenominal, to say the least!

The first responders are always people of the Church!  I thank God for them who act so fast that they have been noted as "Faith-Fema".  As you probably know, this article is not about praising people, but rather the Lord of those who act out of love for God.

God is the author of giving!  People give out of two reasons.  One, they do it for the glory of God.  Second, they do it to make themselves feel good and claim the glory!  This is something we must consider when we give or do any kind of good deed.  Those who are born again have the love of God in their heart and without this love our 'good deeds' are nothing.

I Corinthians 13:3



³ And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.