Simply trusting

A man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. — Romans 3:28

Simply trust. This is one of the most difficult concepts to communicate to non-Christians. They have a hard time understanding that they can’t do anything to earn God’s favor. Jesus paid the penalty for all their sins when He died on the cross. To receive God’s forgiveness and eternal life, and to have a right relationship with Him, all we need to do is cast ourselves on His mercy and trust Him to save us. The apostle Paul put it this way: “To him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).

A person who understood this truth wrote, “For 30 years I had assumed that to swim I must constantly struggle to keep from sinking. One day an expert swimmer watched me for a few minutes and then shouted, ‘Stop fighting the water and trust it to hold you up!’ Under his direction, I lay flat in the water without moving. To my delight, it held me up. Why didn’t someone tell me that years ago!”

The writer then concluded, “So many people constantly struggle to become Christians. If they would only trust Christ, they would realize that He does the saving.”

Have you been attempting to save yourself? If so, then stop trying and start trusting! — Richard De Haan

We cannot earn our way to heaven

By word or work or worth;

But if we trust in Christ to save us,

We will receive new birth. — Branon

READ: Romans 3:19-24; 4:1-8

Salvation is a gift, not a paycheck.

The Bible in one year:

• Jeremiah 43-46