Faith And Believing!

It is hard to believe that we are already four days into the New Year. Of course I had a birthday yesterday and that makes me realize that time is "not" on my side as the song goes. I guess if we look at eternity, then time is on my side. Like the song goes, "When we have been there ten thousand years." Now it is hard for us to imagine ten thousand years, let alone eternity. Some times I try to imagine eternity and my brain just tells me enough is enough. We know what it means but it is hard to visualize forever. God tells us that we will either spend eternity with Him, or separated from Him. I choose to spend eternity with God.

How are we going to make sure that we spend eternity with God instead of the lake of fire? There are a number of different groups who say they have the answer, but the Bible is specific in what we must do to have eternal life in Jesus. First we are told that we are saved by grace through faith.
Ephesians;2:8
(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 boast.)
What we are told is that God did everything that was required for us to have salvation. He was the sacrifice and He paid the price for us. We are all sinners and we all needed help because we were doomed to die. We were going to pay the price for our sin, and the price being death.

Why would God give His only Son to die in our place? Because He loved us and knew that we were without any hope. Basically we were dead in our trespasses.
Ephesians;2:1-3
(And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.)
God tells us that we ALL once were living like the world. The only reason we have a new life is because of Jesus Christ. His life was given for us.

There are so many places in Scripture that tell us that God loves us. We sure didn't deserve this love from God because we were enemies of God. You might say to yourself that you are not an enemy of God, but the Scripture says different.
Romans;5:10
(For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.)
Yes, we were all enemies of God, and through Jesus we have been made children of God. Many people are still separated from God and have not been reconciled to God. There is only one way to be reconciled to God, and Jesus is the way.
Romans:5:11
(And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have received the reconciliation.)
Here again we are reminded that we didn't do anything, it was all done by Jesus.
2Corinthians:5:18-19
(Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.)

Why would God care about you and me? We have done nothing but disobey Him and sin against Him. He gave us commandments to obey and we have not obeyed. The reason that he has given us life in Jesus is because He loves us.
John;3:16
(For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.)
Romans;5:8
(But God demonstrates His love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.)

Isn't it wonderful to have a God who loves us so much that He has given us hope when we had no hope? He gave us a way to spend eternity in Heaven with Him. I use "gave" because it is a free gift from Him. All we have to do is accept the gift of life and put our faith in Jesus. We are sanctified by faith in Jesus. The Bible plainly and repeatedly teaches that salvation comes solely through faith apart from human works.
Romans;4:5
(But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,)
Romans;5:1
(Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.)
Galatians;2:16
(knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.)
Galatians;3:11
(But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for "the just shall live by faith".)

We must have faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other way to be saved. Jesus tells us that He is the way. I pray that you will put your faith in Jesus today and trust in Him. He says that we will have eternal life if we put our faith and belief in Him.
Romans;10:9-10
(that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.)

God Bless You!