promises

10
Jan
2020

God has it handled

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on September 19, 2017.

God has it handled

by Holly Bahr

Anxiety is a feeling of worry or uncontrollable nervousness when thinking or obsessing about an event or a situation where the outcome is uncertain. Anxiety disorders are the most common type of mental illness in the United States. According to Scott Stossel, author of My Age of Anxiety, “Forty million Americans have an anxiety disorder.”  He goes on to report, “One in six people in the world will have an anxiety disorder for a minimum of a year within their lifetime, and one in four people will experience crippling anxiety some time in their life.” With these staggering statistics, one has to ask: Is the person sitting next to you in church suffering from anxiety? Have you felt the worry or fear of the unknown in your life? If you haven’t experienced the life-changing panic associated with anxiety, odds are someone worshiping with you suffers in this way. So, in the life of a Christian where trust in our Savior is first and foremost, what do we do with anxiety?  We understand pain and suffering are part of our lives.  We dive into God’s promises for strength—his gospel means of grace.  Knowledge of life-giving rebirth we experienced through baptism and the forgiveness of sins received through the Lord’s Supper can ease the hurt of anxiety.

Even with God’s grace coming to us through the gospel in his Word, in baptism, and the Lord’s Supper, our human weakness gets in the way.  The devil uses anxiety as a weapon causing us to doubt ourselves, our faith in God, and God’s power.   We need the gospel to speak to our worries and strengthen our innermost being.  God’s assurances to Joshua put down the devil and point us to the strength we develop through trust in God. “Have I not commanded you?” God said. “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go” (Joshua 1:9). When the panic of anxiety stubbornly takes hold of us, we look to the Lord for strength to overcome our worldly doubts.

The sacrament of baptism is a rebirth for us and a powerful reminder of the work of faith the Holy Spirit continues tirelessly to perform in our hearts. We may feel anxiety and worry, but we also know the Holy Spirit continues to nourish faith in us and connect us to our all-powerful God.  Suffering from anxiety is a never ending cycle of negative self-talk and hopelessness, but remembering the benefits we receive through baptism can encourage us to switch from negative thoughts to the positive work the Holy Spirit does in our hearts.

Baptism started our faith life, and holy communion offers ongoing reminder of the peace we receive through the means of grace.  Communion gives us forgiveness of sins, lifting the burden of anxiety off our shoulders and placing this burden on our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. God sent his Son to die for our sins, even the sin of worry and doubt. God’s forgiving love can lessen anxiety and comfort us from the fear of the unknown.

Anxiety is a real mental illness with debilitating symptoms, but with faith in God and his promises, along with professional help, this disease can be eased. God is our great healer. He has our future planned and will not let us fall into harm’s way.  We look to the Lord for strength. We trust in his unfailing love for us. We seek his peace in regards to our fears and worries. “’Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust’” (Psalm 91:1-2).   Instead of dwelling on the fear within us, we turn this gripping fear over to God and his promises.  “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).  Fear and worries will keep coming, keep changing.  But we can find solace in the never-changing promises and all-encompassing love of our all-powerful God.
Posted by David Sellnow
30
Dec
2019

Encouragement concerning depression

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on May 21, 2016.
Collin wrote this letter for a friend of his who was dealing with feelings of depression.  Her name is changed for privacy.

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Letter to a friend

by Collin Wenzel

 

My dear friend Olivia,

The Lord’s blessings to you—I pray you are doing well. I was glad to have heard from you earlier this year. However, when I learned of your recent struggles with feelings of depression, my heart went out to you. I would like to offer you spiritual guidance and encouragement from our heavenly Father.

I smile and laugh as I frequently look back on all of the memories we have stored up with our friends over the past three years. How much longer than three years it seems! I thank God that extra-curriculars brought us all together when we were in high school. Now, although we are in different states and only see each other a few times a year, I still care deeply for you. Concerning the hardships you wrote to me about, I often ask God in my prayers to help you through this difficult time.

Sin entered the world at the fall of the first man. Through sin came sorrow, pain, despair and feelings of hopelessness. I understand that what you are feeling seems unexplainable and unreasonable. Olivia, you know that at conception, we were enemies of God. We were born into this world as truly hopeless beings. But you also know that we have a Father who loves us so much that he gave his Son for us. Jesus lived the life for us that we never could live ourselves—perfect in every way.  Jesus bore for us the punishment that we merited. Because of Jesus’ work and through faith in him, we are justified before God.

I know that you know this. Why, then, did I write it? I want to remind you of the blessings we receive through this justification. To us belongs hope—hope of the greatest kind. We know that we must go through many trials on this earth. But we have hope to help us get through them. We have hope that God is on our side. We have hope that God is guiding us and holding our hand—that he will never leave us. Take joy in this! Our strength comes from the Lord. He empowers us in every situation. He will help you with your feelings of depression; in him alone can you trust. Call upon him! As David wrote,  “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall” (Psalm 55:16).

Your thoughts of depression may be telling you that you are losing purpose to press onward, and that you can’t do it. But God will never let the righteous fall. God will not let the burdens pressing you down become so heavy that you will be crushed. God will sustain you.

So rely on him! Find your joy in the fact that he fulfills his promises. Pray to him, saying, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:12). Your salvation is sure. No earthly sorrow can hinder it. So remember God’s love and receive unending joy from it! I heard a spiritual song which included the following encouragement. Let us use some words from that song as we pray:

Dear God, please comfort my soul. You are at my side; no longer must I dread the fires of unexpected sorrow. Let me not be moved by lesser lights and fleeting shadows, nor let me forsake the truth I learned in the beginning. Guide me as I wait upon you and assure me that hope will rise. God, I will trust in you and not be shaken. To your name alone be the glory. Amen.

The words from this prayer were adapted from the song “Still, My Soul be Still”
by Keith and Kristyn Getty and Stuart Townend, from the album Awaken the Dawn
(Getty Music, 2009).

Posted by David Sellnow
29
Dec
2019

Never Alone

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on March 4, 2016.

Never alone

by Miriam Willitz

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:20

Have you ever felt alone? I’m sure we all have at some time in our lives. There are many reasons that we can feel alone. Maybe there has been a time when you were in a fight with a spouse or other family member and you didn’t talk for a while and you felt all alone. When we have to make big decisions that will make a lasting impact on us, we sometimes feel alone. I had a teacher in high school that we all called Dr. Z. He was married to his wife for more than forty years, and she died very suddenly not long ago. We cannot even begin to imagine the kind of loneliness Dr. Z is going through right now without his lifelong companion.

People often feel lonely because they are Christian. They feel as though they are the only Christian in a whole world of unbelievers. That may seem true, even though it’s not.  Jesus is with us always.

When Jesus promised to be with his disciples always, he was about to go up into heaven.  Jesus had been with them for three years, teaching them all that they needed to know. Every day for those years he constantly had been there with them, and now he was going back to where he’d been, and he wouldn’t be physically present with them anymore. Try to imagine how alone they felt without Jesus there with them. They watched him disappear from their sight, but Jesus gave them this great promise: that he would always be there with them, till the very end to time.  And along with that promise, he gave them a mission—to go out and tell the whole earth about how he’d died to take away the sins of all people (cf. Mark 16:15).  And his authority and his Spirit would accompany them in that mission (cf. Matthew 28:18, John 16:7-15).

We, like the disciples, have that same promise and the same mission.  We feel lonely because we are sinful and weak, but our Savior Jesus is perfect and strong and has promised that his presence will always be with us, to the very end of time. This word from our Lord is so comforting because—in all situations where we have to make decisions and choices on our own—we know that Jesus is always there with us, helping us through and guiding us. When a loved one dies, someone who has always been close to us, we can be reassured that Jesus is still here with us to help us, as well as being in heaven to welcome that loved one home to him in faith.  Jesus is the perfect companion, who came to earth to suffer and die in our place, to pay for our wrongs. He rose again, victorious over death and the grave. And now in heaven, he is with us, protecting us. He is giving us the Holy Spirit to be in our hearts always to comfort and encourage us.   And he gives us the privilege of sharing his message with others as our life’s mission.

Praise God!  Jesus is with us!

Prayer:

Dearest Jesus, thank you for all that you have done for us. Thank you for enduring the cruel death on Calvary and for rising from death. Thank you for always being there for us when we feel lonely and even when we don’t.  Strengthen us as we continue as missionaries for your name.  Amen.

Posted by David Sellnow
27
Dec
2019

Facing the future with hope

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on November 20, 2014.

Emily Shank wrote the following message as a devotion project for a theology class with me.  She offers worthy reminders for all people of faith in Christ.

Trusting in God

by Emily Shank

We all have times when we wish we had a crystal ball, something which will show us what our future holds, what the outcomes of certain decisions would be. There are times in our life when we face changes which seem quiet scary, when we are worried about things going wrong. There are also many things in life which are out of our control and make us feel anxious. Yet, the Bible promises us that we can find rest in trusting God. How can that become a reality though? It’s all very easy to say, but how do we manage to make it something we experience as an integral part of our Christian journey?

Uncertainty about our futures can be unsettling.  I struggle when there seems to be a lot of uncertainty in my life. When my future holds a lot of unknowns.  There are many things to be concerned and worried about. When I was younger I think I enjoyed new things and embraced the adventure of change. I wonder what has made me want more consistency in my life? I think it also has something to do with experiencing too much change over the last few years. Being in college you meet new people and possibly change how you present yourself and also change certain ideas about your future.

Trusting God is a fundamental aspect of our faith; we trust God to strengthen us during times of change. Trusting God brings comfort when we are facing situations out of our control which make us feel under pressure or anxious. Trusting God can bring us security, safety and rest.

God gives us his wonderful promise.  “This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says:  ‘In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength…’” (Isaiah 30:15).

Look at the words “in quietness and trust is your strength.”  There have been times when panic and stress have been more the emotions that I have felt. So, how do we know rest from trusting God no matter what life may throw at us?

  1. Trusting God comes from knowing him and spending time with him.

Moses said to the Lord:  “Now therefore, I pray you, if I have found favor in your sight, let me know your ways that I may know you, so that I may find favor in your sight. Consider too, that this nation is your people.”  And the Lord said, “My presence shall go with you, and I will give you rest”  (Exodus 33:13-14).

Knowing God and knowing his presence with us through everything we face helps us in trusting him. We cannot know our future; we do not know what the outcome of the decisions we make in life will be; we will face change, trials and uncertainty. Through it all, one thing remains constant – God’s presence going with us.  As we take time to know God and spend time drawing near to his presence, we find it easier to trust him and find rest.

  1. Trusting God comes from understanding our future and hope in him.

“For I know the plans that I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11).

We will face hard times in life. There will be pain and difficulty, suffering and trial. However, God has a plan for us. A plan which gives us a future and a hope. We have an amazing promise of knowing our loving, wonderful Father God and above all things we can take joy, comfort and peace from this amazing, blessed relationship. No matter what we face in life we can be assured that we will spend eternity with him and that through the cross and resurrection of Jesus nothing can defeat us.

  1. Trusting God comes from seeking God in His Word, through the counsel of others, and prayer.

God’s Word can provide us with so much comfort, strength and peace. The more we read it the more we understand who God is, his almighty sovereignty and his amazing power. He is faithful, full of love and completely just – our trust in him grows the more we read and understand the wonderful truths contained in His Word.

The support of other Christians also serves to strengthen us when we are struggling with the weight of worry and anxiety. We can grow in strength from their prayers, comfort and words. God’s presence is available to us through the Christians we have to lean on.

Trusting God, we go to him in prayer.  Whatever is worrying us, whatever uncertainty there is in our life, whatever causes us fear can be given to God in prayer. We won’t necessarily know answers but we will know peace and rest, having the knowledge that we can trust in his presence.

Prayer:  Dear Lord, please help to come to you with our daily struggles and to put our doubts and uncertainties to rest. Please help us trust in you completely by staying close to your Word, coming to you in prayer, and going to other Christians for guidance.  In your name we pray.  Amen.

Posted by kyriesellnow
24
Dec
2019

Christ alone

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on October 11, 2017.

Christ alone is the object of faith

by Can Kuang
Can’s devotion was written with an audience of younger kids in mind (from kindergarten to fourth grade). But I felt her theme and imagery communicate well to all ages.

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Are you LEGO® fans? Suppose you spend a whole day in building a LEGO® ship or house or airplane or whatever, with hundreds of pieces. When you finish it, will you be happy with it and enjoying looking at it again and again, and showing it to your friends and families? Sure, you will! Then, you put it onto the shelf so that it will not be broken and you can also easily reach it and play with it. However, one day it accidentally falls off the shelf and is broken into pieces. Who do you think can fix it and build it up again? The LEGO® pieces themselves? The biggest and fanciest LEGO® pieces? The shelf? Or you?

The answer is clear: You yourself, because it is you who built them and you are the lord of them.

This idea is true of us and God. God created human beings and put us in the Garden of Eden with all the blessings. However, we messed it up and fell down with sins which drove us to eternal punishment. Do you want to end up with that? No, we don’t. But who can save us? Ourselves? The smartest and the strongest people? Heroes? Or God?

The answer here is clear, too. Only God can save us, because it is God who created us and he is the Lord of us. That is why God became flesh in Jesus Christ to live for us, die for us and rise for us in order to save us from sins and give us eternal life. Therefore, who is the object of saving faith? Jesus Christ alone is the object of saving faith, not us, not anything or anyone else. Therefore, God told us “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

Praise God for his enduring love and unfailing promise.”

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

He Cannot Disown Himself

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on July 13, 2016.  Becca wrote this devotion in connection with a workshop on Devotional Writing that I led that summer.

He Cannot Disown Himself

by Becca Rehberger

“I promise I won’t do it again.”
“I promise I’ll get you something.”
“I promise I’ll be there.”
“I promise that I will always love you.”

How many of these promises have we made? How many have we broken? Whether we forgot them, were forced to give them up, or simply lost the desire to keep them, we have all broken the trust of another, whether we used the words “I promise” or not. Broken promises have far-reaching consequences nonetheless, for our relationships with each other and with God.

God does not want our excuses. He clearly states that he expects us to keep our word, without even using an oath to bind it (Matthew 5:27). Some might say that this makes God unfair, to expect so much of us, but he is absolutely holy – he cannot tolerate sin. In fact, Jesus tells us in Matthew, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48).

Unlike our temporary, broken promises, though, God has kept every promise he has made. That includes the promise to send a Savior, a promise given to all humanity after the first man and woman fell into sin. God promised that this Savior would wash us clean of the brokenness in our lives. Throughout the next several thousand years, God repeated this promise to every generation until he fulfilled it in Jesus.

The apostle Paul wrote of these promises to a young pastor named Timothy. These verses’ nature is uncertain – some think it may have been a hymn that early Christians sang. In any case, it sums up well the promises that God has given to us:

Here is a trustworthy saying:
If we died with him,
     we will also live with him;
if we endure,
     we will also reign with him.
If we disown him,
     he will also disown us;
if we are faithless,
    he remains faithful,
    for he cannot disown himself  (1 Timothy 2:11-13).

“If we died with him, we will also live with him.” Since we were born as enemies of God and opposed to his Word, God also put faith in our hearts. He did this by putting the enemy in us to death, and by creating a new person in its place – one who loves God and wants to do his will (2 Corinthians 5:17).

“If we endure, we will also reign with him.” Though that enemy – the sinful nature – keeps rearing its ugly head, God will be with us as we struggle and overcome sin.

“If we disown him, he will also disown us.” Only one sin can permanently separate us from God: rejecting God’s Word and promises.  It’s not because Jesus didn’t take away this sin, but because this sin makes faith impossible. God has promised, however, that he will hold onto us, and that as we listen and take to heart his Word, he will strengthen our hold onto him (John 15:4).

“If we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.” If we do sin, we need only to turn back to God for forgiveness, and, out of his deep love for us, he will give it. Because of Jesus, he considers us to be a part of his family, to be his beloved children. Since we are his children, God has promised to take us to his heavenly home, to live with him forever. Since he has kept every promise he has ever made, we know for certain that he will keep this one, too (John 14:3).

What a comfort it is to know that God will keep his promises! Through his promise to send Jesus to save us, God has solved the one question all humanity asks: “What will happen when I die?” Because of these promises, we can be sure that God is not angry with us, but will help, keep, and save us from our sin. And, ultimately, we can be sure that heaven is ours.

Prayer:
Dear God, thank you for being faithful to your promises. Please forgive us for when we’ve broken our promises to you and to each other. Through your Word, remind us of your promises, and give us the strength to live for you, in Jesus’ name.  Amen.

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Emboldened witnesses

Originally published on The Electric Gospel on November 23, 2015.

Emboldened witnesses

by Yaffet Gabayehu

Are you prepared for the big game? Have you worked hard enough? Do you think you can handle typing the huge paper you have to do for your college class?  Are you ready to take on new adventures and all the challenges life has to offer?  At times we find ourselves asking questions similar to these in our lives – wondering whether or not we are prepared for the future.  It can be difficult know how to handle difficult situations, and we may even seek ways to avoid them when they arise.

For me, perhaps my biggest feeling of being unprepared is when it comes to teaching and sharing God’s word. It seems to me that it can be so easy to make a mistake or accidentally turn others away, or simply not know what to say when the opportunity to instruct others in God’s word arrives.  All of us are called to be Christ’s witnesses in the world, and many of you may have similar fears on your minds at times also. We are all are sinners.  We know make many mistakes and errors.  Each and every one of us has fallen short of the glory of God (cf. Romans 3:23).

God’s Word gives us many examples of persons who struggled with the idea of being unprepared to preach and teach his word.  We see how Moses feared speaking to Pharaoh and all the Israelites, as Moses said to the Lord, “Pardon your servant, Lord.  I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.  I am slow of speech and tongue” (Exodus 4:10). Moses feared that Pharaoh and the Israelites wouldn’t believe him or listen to what he had to say. Don’t we also find ourselves thinking like this in our own lives? That whatever we say or do will be denied by others? I know I have found myself scared and worried that I will not be able to speak to others, just as Moses was afraid … because I don’t know enough and I’m nothing compared to the pastors out there today.  Maybe many Christians have this same fear of speaking up.   But friends, we have a promise from Christ that gives us the hope and the strength to witness confidently to others.

Christ says, “You will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8), and we have received power from the Holy Spirit to trust this promise.  Jesus also promises he will be with us always and that he ultimately has all authority in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18-20).  We have the ability and responsibility to tell all people of Christ and his salvation, and Christ graciously gives us the strength to do so. When we are worried by the mistakes we might make or the daily sins we commit, or even afraid that we may not be well-prepared as witnesses of the gospel, we can go to Christ in daily repentance and see the love he has given us at the cross. Jesus paid the price we couldn’t, that we might live through him in everlasting life with him. He gives us the promise that he gave to his apostles, that we will receive power from the Holy Spirit and will be his witnesses to all the ends of the earth. When we feel like we aren’t prepared or ready for our witnessing work on Christ’s behalf, we can smile with great joy that Jesus himself has given us the promise that the Holy Spirit will be with us as we proclaim his word. We know what Christ has done for all people.  Out of our joy, and through the strength of the Holy Spirit who fills us, we eagerly want to tell the world this good news!

The Lord promised to help Moses speak to Pharaoh and the Israelites and to teach him what to say.  The Lord promised the apostles that his Spirit would enable their testimony.  We also can trust that Christ will be with us and his Spirit will work through us and guide us by the Scriptures.  So be bold in witnessing to all, telling what the Lord has done!

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

New life resolution

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on January 7, 2015.

You can do all things through Christ who strengthens you

by David Sellnow

We’re a week into the new year … by this point 25% of new year’s resolutions have already been broken (according to research by the University of Scranton).   We try to improve ourselves, change ourselves, fix ourselves … and more often than not come up short of our goals.

I’ve worked as a pastor in congregations and have heard defeatism among members, feeling the challenges faced by the church were bigger than they could bear.  “We can’t do it.  We don’t have enough strength.”

I’ve worked in ministry with college students and often heard them express frustration and feelings of low self-worth.  They so much wanted to impress people by their talents and intelligence … and at the same time felt they were not able to perform well enough, not able to think as well as they think they should.

I’ve sat in counseling sessions with people facing various dilemmas – finances, illnesses, woes within marriage, bad habits by which they keep hurting themselves.  And generally in the midst of those conversations, their inner feelings would come out, saying, “I don’t know why I’m talking to you about this; it’s hopeless anyway.”

It’s hopeless anyway?  We’re not good enough?  We can’t do it?  Jesus would say to us, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?” (Matthew 8:26).   The apostle Paul would urge us to say with him, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13 NKJV).

It’s true we aren’t strong enough on our own to make resolutions and keep them.  It’s true that we aren’t wise enough on our own to navigate a proper path through life.  It’s true that we aren’t stable enough to keep ourselves on an even keel in the midst of life’s worries.

But we have the promises of Christ, and he does not let us down.  Indeed we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.  “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.  They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (Isaiah 40:31).

Whatever resolves you have in this new year, hang onto Jesus in them and through them.  Don’t despair of your own abilities or dwell on your own weaknesses.  Your value as a child of God does not rise and fall according to how well you accomplish your tasks each day.  Christ’s love is constantly surrounding you and upholding you.  And through him, the days’ tasks become more accomplishable.   “And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Posted by Electric Gospel
24
Dec
2019

Thankful for a promise we can’t comprehend

Originally published on the Electric Gospel on November 26, 2014.

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Finding Comfort in Predestination

by MacCartney Mendolla

Predestination (or election) is a topic that Christians become squeamish about. However, the doctrine of predestination gives comfort to the believers because it assures them of their eternal life in Christ. Sometimes we want to put this doctrine on the back burner because it causes confusion, intimidation, and may cause hurt feelings. We don’t like thinking that our God wouldn’t select some for eternity in heaven. Our own human reason makes us feel uneasy about the doctrine of election because we like to think God chooses everyone to be saved.  Paul described the doctrine of election in this way:  God “chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves” (Ephesians 1:4-6).  These thoughts can make us uncomfortable because selection occurred before creation. Before we could even breathe or sin, God chose us. Our own human logic believes that if God created some to be elected then he had to have chosen some to damned. However, this is not the case. God wants everyone to be saved (as stated in 1 Timothy 2:4).

The doctrine of election also makes us uncomfortable because we don’t know if we have been selected, for that is veiled from our eyes. We cannot see the “list” of those selected. But we do have the Bible and it is God’s truthful Word.  “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3:16).  Although we cannot see back into eternity and know who is elected, we can find comfort in our lives now and notice what God is doing for us and what he promises to do for us in the future. We also receive his Word by hearing, listening, and reading it. God has taught us to trust him.  And we do trust his promises, for God never breaks a promise.  This is the promise of God we hang onto:  “Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30).

God elected some, but the Bible does not say he chose any person to be damned to hell. However, people can willfully reject God’s grace in Christ and not receive the inheritance of heaven, which is given to us through faith.  God’s election is not something by mere chance; rather, it is by God’s undeserved love for us. Jesus said to his disciples, “You did not choose me, but I chose you” (John 15:16).  God chose us and there is nothing we could have done to become one of the chosen.  It is by grace that we believe in Jesus as our Savior and because of grace we will be in heaven.  Election is the starting point of our salvation and also a promise from God that we embrace by faith. The doctrine of election goes along with justification, sanctification, and salvation.

People all too often believe that they must do something to be saved. The truth is, no matter how many good deeds we do, they will never get us into heaven. All of us fall short of heavenly standards of being absolutely holy and blameless. If it were up to works for salvation, grace wouldn’t be needed from God.  Paul affirmed this truth:  God “has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time” (2 Timothy 1:9).  Because of Jesus’ redeeming work we can stand “holy and blameless in his sight” (Ephesians 1:4) already now and finally on judgment day. Jesus has already paid for our sins. Through him we believe in him and all he has done for us.

Christians, take comfort and reassurance in the doctrine of predestination. “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith-and this not from ourselves, it is a gift of God—not by works—so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Take this gift given to us and believe in Christ Jesus our Lord who has saved us and gives us eternal life through him. Continue to grow in the faith and knowledge of our loving God. Look forward to our eternity in heaven.

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“Keep me as the apple of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings” (Psalm 17:8).

Posted by Electric Gospel