If I am a good Christian, and follow God’s will, I can go to heaven. If I follow His commandments, I can go to heaven. If I treat others as God would want me to and forgive them as I am instructed to, I can go to heaven. That is how some people think while others feel if we do not do all these things, we will not go to heaven.
This is not the case, as we read in Ephesians 2:8-10. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.
The question came to my mind of “which came first, the chicken or the egg?” In this case, God offers His salvation to those who believe Jesus Christ is their Lord and Savior. His grace comes from this belief, our sins are forgiven, and we are promised eternal life in heaven. When we believe in Him, we strive to be more Christ-like and the good deeds will follow. We will try our best to follow His commandments and to forgive others as we have been forgiven. We will try to do these things, but Satan is working against us and sometimes wins the mini battles. God always wins in the end.
But even though we are flawed, we are God’s masterpiece. We are God’s masterpiece! Let that sink in. Jesus Christ has given us a fresh start so we can do the good things He planned for us a long time ago. He has cleared the path for us. God knows everything about our lives. Everything we have done in the past and everything we will do in the future. He planned out our lives as part of His will a long time ago. The closer the relationship we have with Him, the easier it is to see the plans He has for us. When someone asks you what your plans are for the weekend, after you graduate from college, or after you retire, we think of activities. Are God’s plans activities, or a way of thinking and acting? Different people can take the same career path, but that does not mean they will approach it in the same mindset. I have seen many individuals working the same position as I had that did not approach it the same way. I strive to be Christ-like in my approach.
Most, if not all, of you reading this post have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. That is the first step. Next comes learning more about God so you can not only know who He is but can establish a relationship with Him. The closer the relationship, the more others will see Him in you through your behavior and good deeds.
Do you have friends that do not attend church? What are the reasons? Is it not a habit their families did when they were growing up? Do they disagree with the perceived teachings in the church? Church attendance is going down over the years and fewer people than ever are associated with a church. One of the reasons some people do not attend church or do not have any religious affiliation is all they see are hypocrites in the churches. The Christians are touting their good deeds, but not living out what they say they believe in. We read about scandals in some churches, including high ranking church officials and think to ourselves, “if they are truly in a relationship with God, how can they do this?” How many times have you seen rude behavior from church goers at restaurants and stores right after church service? I have and wonder why they are not applying what they learned in church to their everyday lives. In other cases, they do not feel welcome because of __________. I will let you fill in the blank.
The church is full of sinners. Every one of us. What we have and want to share with others is the salvation given to us by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our lives are blessed by this relationship with God, and we want to share this blessing. If you do not have a church you go to regularly, find one. The fellowship there will help you grow closer to God and closer to the good plans He has planned for you.
