Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: salvation

He Will Give You What You Need

Encouragement

He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?
‭‭Romans‬ ‭8:32‬

Paul asked: “If God gave us His Son, then will He not give us everything else He promised us?”  

How do we know if God’s goodness and love are going to be given to us?  To answer that question we must understand that If God has given us His Son, then He will give us everything else we need. 

In Genesis 22, in the Old Testament story of Abraham offering his son Isaac, God asked Abraham to sacrifice his own son. The Bible says Abraham did not spare his only son. Of course, God intervened at the last second and provided a ram for the sacrifice.  

That was a picture of what Jesus Christ would do one day on that same mountain range of Moriah when God would send His only Son, the Lamb of God, to take away the sins of the world.  Paul was essentially saying, “If God was willing to do that for us, then why wouldn’t He do anything and everything else for us?”

God did not send His own Son into the world because we were good people.  Jesus came to die for us because of our sinfulness.   That’s what makes God’s gift of salvation that much more wonderful.  

The Bible says that while we were sinners, God sent His Son to die for us.  If while we were sinners, God sent His best and most costly gift, and now that we are His children, don’t you think He will give us everything else?  If God gave you His greatest gift while you were His enemy, what is He going to withhold from you now?  Nothing!

Thank God for giving you everything you need. He loves you too much to not meet your needs.

Pray

Lord, thank You for giving me the best gift I could ever receive. Your love and grace gives me peace and comfort.

It’s All About Love

Encouragement

On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.
Matthew 22:40

One day an expert of the law tried to trap Jesus by asking Him what the most important commandment was. Jesus responded that the first is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. The second is of the same essence: love your neighbor as yourself.

In summary, the overall message of the Bible is love. If we love God we will love others. If we love others it is because the love of the Father is in us. 

The Bible is a love story that begins with man rebelling against God, but God kept pursuing him ultimately to a cross. The very thing that separated man from God is what actually brought God to man. It’s all about love and it’s an unending love.

The Ten Commandments can be divided into two sections. The first five commandments deal with our relationship with God and the last five deal with our relationships with others. But they all go hand-in-hand. 

Once we establish a right relationship and fellowship with God it will show by the presence of this love for God in our relationships with others. As Jesus brought all the commandments down to two, we can clearly see that it’s the spirit of love.

Jesus came so that we may have a portrait of the love of God. And there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13). This is the example of true love.

We can do many things right but if we do not love we have missed the whole point. The better we understand the love of God the better we obey the word of God. And the better we obey the word of God the better we show the love of God.

Pray

Lord, help me to understand Your great love for me and let me reflect Your love in my life. Thank You for loving me even when I don’t deserve it. Give me the the spirit of love that others will see who You are.

We Have Promises

Encouragement

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1

Our acceptance by God is on the basis of grace through faith. We can’t earn it and we definitely don’t deserve it. God offers His righteousness so that we may be accepted through His Son, Jesus Christ. That’s grace!

Paul told the Philippian jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved…” (Acts 16:31) There was nothing that he needed to do but believe and receive. Grace secures our position in Christ as being right with God. 

Paul ultimately says in today’s verse, “Since we have been given grace we work toward complete holiness because we desire to honor God.” We honor God when we are practicing holiness. The day that we accepted Christ as Savior, our sins were forgiven but it doesn’t mean we are sinless. 

Everyday we grow and mature in our faith. Our lives reflect what we believe. Are you working towards holiness? Are you becoming more like Christ? 

The good news is that as a Christ follower, you have already been accepted by God. The pressure is off in regards to living a perfect life.

When God looks at you He sees the perfection and righteousness of Jesus in you. In return, we desire to please Him in everything we do and say. We work out what God has worked in you through His power and grace.

Pray

Lord, I desire to please You with my life. Thank you for giving me the free gift of grace. I strive to live my life holy unto You.