Photo by Miriam G
By Mike Chaffin
he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit. Titus 3:5 NLT
Some people think they are good enough to get to Heaven on their own merits. However, that thinking never saved anyone. The Bible is clear, Jesus even reiterates it, no one is good,
As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. Mark 10:17-18
Psalm 53 adds to what Jesus said about man’s inherit goodness,
God looks down from heaven upon the children of men,
To see if there are any who understand, who seek God.
3 Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt;
There is none who does good,
No, not one. Psalm 53:2-3
We must recognize we are sinners, deserving of death. But God showed mercy on us. He sent Jesus to earth, to live as a man, and die a sacrifice for all mankind. Jesus saves us when we accept Him as our Savior. He washes away our sins. He makes us a new creation. A creation filled with the Holy Spirit who now wants and desires to do good. As we learned in the 32nd Most Referenced Verse when we accept Christ, we are transformed by the washing and renewing of our minds so we can know God’s perfect and pleasing will. It all started with mercy.
As imitators of Christ, we are to shower mercy on others. That is what Jesus calls our good deeds, and Paul describes as works prepared for us beforehand. Through our actions of mercy we shine the light of Christ so God can be glorified.
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for the love you showed me and the mercy you gave me when you died in my place. Through your sacrifice I can be justified and have a new life in you, never to die but to have life everlasting. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
* There is a website that conducted a search for Bible verses. They compiled a list of the verses in order of the magnitude of hits they got in their search. Some of these verses probably qualify as ‘people’s favorites’, while others might be on the list because they are some of the most important and most teachable words of God.
