In The Same Boat

• Printable Version - Share on Facebook - Posted by Dion Todd June 19, 2016 - Filed in Devotional - 8,346 views
  For there is no distinction, for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God; being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:22 WEB
  
  It is easy to become used to positions, titles, and levels in the workplace during life and carry that over into the church. After a while, we can become like the pharisee that stood on the corner and thanked God that he was not like other men (Luke 18:11). We can begin to feel that we earned it.
  
  It was a common trend among the disciples of Jesus to strive for position, and it still is today. In Matthew 18:1 the disciples asked Jesus who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. In Mark 9:34 the disciples were arguing over who was the greatest among themselves. In Mark 10:37, James and John asked Jesus to be seated on His right hand, and on His left, and the rest of the disciples became angry with them. In John 13:3 Jesus rose and washed the disciples feet, because all of them were too important to perform a servants task.
  
  We are all in the same boat, and it is named grace. There are no admirals or captains and we are floating in a sea of sin. If it were not for God's mercy, we would not even be on the boat, and we would all drown in our sins just as the ones that missed the ark in Noah's day. Our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) and our accomplishments, as dung (Phil. 3:8). We are saved through the grace of God, a free gift, by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
  
  Be thankful today that God has given us the free gift of His grace. It costs nothing to be forgiven of everything that you have ever done wrong, but just like a true gift: we did not earn it, for it is a gift.
  
  Prayer: Father, I thank You for the gift of salvation. Forgive me of foolish pride and keep me balanced in life. You are so awesome and so good to me, and I am truly grateful for all that You do. In the name of Jesus Christ I pray.
  
  Note: Good morning and happy Sunday! Just a reminder that our first live Sunday service will be happening today at 11am EST (10am CST / 8am PST). You can find the clickable link to the location on the event page description or you can copy and paste this link: https://meetings.talkfusion.com/#/en/login/3c9e9a5297418d3bb9dda595aae4a2bd. The room will b open at 10:45am EST (15 minutes before the event starts). Happy Father''s Day and God bless!