Friday, October 22
 

What God Has Done

“ . . .God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts…” Galatians 4: 6

Some choices are obvious. Shall I walk to my relatives in the next state, or take my car? Shall I take out my own appendix or shall I trust the doctors to do so? Shall I build myself a car, or shall I buy one built by others? Shall I get on my bike to go to Europe, or shall I buy a plane ticket?

And in the same way: shall I rely on my efforts to gain salvation, or shall I rely on the Lord God and what He has done? The answer seems obvious, doesn’t it? But we human beings have many ways to hedge on that. We have a way of hoping we are good enough, that we feel the right feelings, that we give enough gifts; these are ways of trying, through our own efforts, to gain salvation. How pathetic they are, compared to what God has done by Jesus!

So, be done with relying on what I have done! Be fully sure; I rely on what God has done in Jesus. That’s what Galatians 4 said: God sent His Son to redeem.

So, we shouldn’t rely on ourselves for salvation; we should only rely on and trust Jesus. That’s the heart of the Reformation message. Praise the Lord.

For Discussion: Can you think of ways in which we are tempted to find some comfort in what we have done, rather than in what Jesus has done?

Prayer: Father, we thank you for sending your Son’s Spirit into our hearts! Thank you for the gift of Jesus, whom we can rely on and trust for our salvation. Amen.

     -          Jack Stulp
Rev. Jack Stulp is the director of church relations for Home Missions.