Memory Verse of the Week ~
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
Saved by
God’s undeserved favor—by grace—not as a reward for the good things we’ve done.
How often do you ask someone if they are going to heaven one day and they reply
that they will be in heaven because they’ve been a good person…treated others
well and been generous. Good works. Will that get them into heaven? According
to this verse in Ephesians: No. Good works won’t get someone into heaven.
Do you need a
plan to follow? Some people just do better when they have steps to follow…a
daily “To Do” list. In this passage from Paul to the church at Ephesus we are given
a hint that we must believe first. …when
you believed. So that is the first step. Believe. After belief has been
established then there is an element of trust. Trusting God to do as He has
said…saving us by His grace—unmerited favor. We cannot earn salvation. NOTHING
that we do can save us. Only believing in Jesus who was sacrificed for our sins
can “give” us salvation. It is a gift from God.
 |
| Hoping for Spring to come soon! Hoping for Heaven--by God's Grace. |
So once we “believe”
we are saved. Saved from an eternity in hell…saved to an eternity in heaven
with God. Saved from our old wicked ways…saved to a life filled with the Holy Spirit
that results in love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness,
faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control as in Galatians 5:22-23. Salvation is a gift—not a reward for a good life.
This good
life doesn’t begin when we go to heaven…it begins when we begin believing in
Jesus as our Savior and repent of our sins. Do you believe? Or what is stopping you from believing?
Prayer
~ God, I rejoice that You have covered me with Your grace and given me the gift
of salvation. Thank you. You have provided such a good life here, but I look
forward to the day of Jesus return for His church. Come quickly, Jesus.
Daily
Bible Reading: Numbers 35-36
© 2019 Text and
Photos by Mickey M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New Living Translation (NLT) unless otherwise noted.
www.blueletterbible.org/dailyreading
Review
of Scripture Memory for 2019
For God loved the world so much that he
gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish
but have eternal life. John 3:16
Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come
soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the
food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin
against us. And don't let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil
one. Matthew 6:9-13
The
LORD is my shepherd; I have all that I need.
He
lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.
He
renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honor to his name.
Even
when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close
beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.
You
prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies.
You
honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.
Surely
your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I
will live in the house of the LORD forever. Psalm 23:1-6
In
the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and
empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering
over the surface of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light,"
and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the
light from the darkness. God called the light "day" and the darkness
"night." And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
Then God said, "Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the
waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth." And that is what
happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the
waters of the heavens. God called the space "sky." And evening passed
and morning came, marking the second day. Genesis 1:1-8
Then
God said, "Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so
dry ground may appear." And that is what happened. God called the dry
ground "land" and the waters "seas." And God saw that it
was good. Then God said, "Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort
of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will
then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came." And that
is what happened. The land produced vegetation--all sorts of seed-bearing
plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and
trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. And evening passed and
morning came, marking the third day. Then God said, "Let lights appear in
the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the
seasons, days, and years. Let these lights in the sky shine down on the
earth." And that is what happened. God made two great lights—the larger
one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made
the stars. God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, to govern the
day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it
was good. And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day. Genesis 1:9-19
Then
God said, "Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be
filled with birds of every kind." So God created great sea creatures and
every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of
bird--each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then
God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the
seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth." And evening passed and
morning came, marking the fifth day. Then
God said, "Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing
offspring of the same kind--livestock, small animals that scurry along the
ground, and wild animals." And that is what happened. God made all sorts
of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring
of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us
make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in
the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the
earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground." So God created
human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and
female he created them. Genesis 1:20-27
You must not have any other god but me.
You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in
the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. You must not bow down to them or
worship them, for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate
your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their
children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth
generations of those who reject me. ...You must not misuse the name of the LORD
your God. The LORD will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name. Remember
to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ... Honor your father and
mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the LORD your God is
giving you. You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not
steal. You must not testify falsely against your neighbor. You must not covet
your neighbor's house. You must not covet your neighbor's wife, male or female
servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:3-5, 7-8, 12-17
For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard.
Romans 3:23
For
the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through
Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23
But
God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were
still sinners. Romans 5:8
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
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