Even the best must be saved by belief. Faith humbles. Faith receives salvation as a gift, not a wage. We need to place our faith in Christ, and then walk, in obedience, in His works. Ours is a simple faith.
Trusting God to Shape The Right Living In Us. He is our faith father.
Have you ever felt that you can’t measure up no matter how hard you try? It’s a feeling that can be all too familiar. It’s one that I used to know all too well. I thought that if I just did enough good and tried hard enough, I could earn my way into heaven. But then I discovered the truth in Romans 4.
In case you haven’t read them, the first three chapters of Romans are full of bad news. The chapters are about sin, and they are not easy to get through. But once we get to Romans 4, Paul shows us how to have a relationship with the Savior. We learn about how to have our sins forgiven and connect with God through Jesus Christ. It’s not through works. It’s not by trying to do more good than bad or going to church more often. It’s not about trying to be less selfish or more generous. None of that will earn our way into heaven. Instead, faith is what makes the difference in our lives. I thought it was all about works, but I was wrong. I needed to trust in God and believe that Jesus Christ was sent to forgive my sins and strengthen me.
This week, we want to dive deeper into Romans 4 and discover more about living by faith. God is ready to do great things in and through us! We’ll see examples from Abraham’s life and how his faith was credited to him as righteousness. We’ll also explore what it means to have faith in God’s promises, even when they seem impossible.
As we immerse ourselves in Romans 4 and explore what it means to live by faith, we must ask ourselves some challenging questions. Do we trust in God, or are we still trying to earn our way into His favor? Are we willing to let go of our efforts and surrender to His plan for our lives? What promises has God made to us that we’re struggling to believe?
These questions may not be easy to answer, but they’re important. Let’s approach this journey through Romans 4 with open hearts and minds, ready to be challenged and transformed by the power of faith. Let’s let go of our striving and trust in the One who has already done everything for us.
Romans 10:4-10(MSG) The earlier revelation was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was Moses saying? The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest.
Today’s Declaration & Prayer: I have favor and success, not because of my works, but because I believe Jesus made me righteous and earned them for me.
Today’s Action: If you’ve gotten weary lately, begin to lift your eyes. Raise your head up instead of looking down. God is up. Jesus is up. The devil is down―under your feet. Look up!
It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God— “Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”
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