12/11/20 NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOD

12/11/20 NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOD

Health, financial, educational, social, religious helps (and dangers) are plenteous online. But a personal relationship with God is found in Jesus and His word. God's connection is always better, certain, guaranteed, supported, virus protected and God keeps us updated as we stay connected.

When we accept and receive Christ as Lord and Savior, we not only have a relationship with God, we are miraculously transformed into new people. We are brought from darkness to light, bondage to freedom, sin to righteousness. We are alive to God, filled with God's Spirit, truth, love, life.

The problem is not with God, but with ourselves. We need to know and accept God's TOS (living, current faith in Christ).
Don't expect to have access to God if you reject God, His will, His authority, His grace.
Access comes through Christ, Who seeks us in order to save us.

We are invited. We are enabled. But salvation is on God's terms, not our own. God's terms are always doable, because God enables us to do His will. God's grace and salvation enables us to keep His commands and to do that which is pleasing in His sight.

Ephesians 2:4-10
4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

2 Corinthians 5:17-20
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;
19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

1 John 3:22-24
22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
23 And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment.
24 And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.