Swallowing Our Pride: Nothing to Boast About - Living Free - October 31

Swallowing Our Pride: Nothing to Boast About

Thursday, October 31, 2019

Living Free Every Day®
A ministry of LivingFree.org

Today's Scripture
"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." Ephesians 2:8-9 NLT

Thoughts for Today
Yesterday we talked about pride preventing people from admitting they need Jesus. Pride can also prevent us from receiving forgiveness and eternal life when we try to earn our way with good works.

Serving in the church ... helping needy people ... donating to charities ... being kind to people. All good. But not good enough to earn passage to heaven. There is only one way. Jesus.
 
"And anyone who believes in God’s Son has eternal life. Anyone who doesn’t obey the Son will never experience eternal life but remains under God’s angry judgment.” 
Jesus' words in John 3:36 NLT

Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me."   John 14:6 NLT

This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. For, there is one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus. He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.   1 Timothy 2:3-6 NLT

We cannot earn salvation. We can only receive it as a gracious gift from God.

Consider this …
Even after we've humbled ourselves before Christ and accepted Him as Lord and Savior, pride can seep in. We look around at people who have not found Jesus ... and maybe feel just a little superior. But ... "Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it."

We don't have anything to brag about—but we do have much to be thankful for. God's grace. God's forgiveness. God's love. The promise of eternal life with him—not because of anything we did but because of what Jesus did.

After realizing that, when we see those who do not yet know Jesus, we will be ready to share with them the good news about him.

Prayer
Father, thank you for the gift of forgiveness. Thank you for the gift of eternal life. Help me always remember the tremendous sacrifice of love that made all that possible. Help me share the good news with others. In Jesus' name ...
 
These thoughts were drawn from … Completely Free! A Group Study of Romans 1-8 by Dan Strickland. Everyone struggles from time-to-time, but we can have confidence that in Christ we are completely free from sin's slavery, from condemnation, and from fear of failure. This group study of Romans 1-8 and 12 helps Christians break out of the dull routine of a stagnant spiritual life. Applying the truths found in Romans can transform any believer into a person eager to follow God's will. This study can also serve as a powerful evangelistic tool by explaining the message of salvation as presented in Romans. Suggested uses include home Bible studies, cell groups, Sunday school classes, support groups and personal enrichment.