The One Thing

Matthew 19:16, 21 - Now behold, one came and said to Him, "Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?" "...Follow Me."

I picked up a book sitting on the bookshelf. It's called Hiding God, The Ambition of World Religion by Warren Henderson. The first point brought up talked about what seems to be the many different religions we know of in this world and the difference between the concepts of these religions. 

(As an aside, after I had written my draft of this blog, I listened to a song that was linked in an email to me. It took my thoughts into another direction and yet the same direction! Make sense? Well......women's minds do that much to the chagrin of men! There are times when "just coming to the point" can't happen.)

One of the first quotes in Hiding God is from Oswald Chambers and you know I like this guy! He says: Christianity is not a devotion to work, or to a cause, or a doctrine, but a devotion to a person, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Well, there you have it in a nutshell. It's about a relationship not religion. Sound familiar if you read my blog? Jesus doesn't want us following the sometimes misguided doctrines of a church, or work for a cause, but to follow Him personally. No church is perfect...but Jesus is.

A question was posed once awhile back to a man named Harry Ironside, a teacher, preacher and author, as he was preaching the streets: There are hundreds of religions...and each sect thinks theirs the only right one. How can plain men like us find out what really is the truth? Ironside's response was there were only two religions: the one covers all who expect salvation by doing; the other, all who have been saved by something done...so, can you save yourself, or must you be saved by another? If you can be your own savior, you do not need my message. If you cannot, you may well listen to it.  Ooooh, I like preachers who just tell it like it is! And, oh, to have words like that flow off my tongue or fingers! 

John 19:30 - "It is finished."  So, Jesus Christ died for my sins. It's not about the good deeds I did but about what One Man freely did for me. Our deeds (outward religious acts, ceremonies, and sacrifices) are as filthy rags and not one of us is good (Isaiah 64:6). There is only One whose perfection we cannot obtain, so we need Him...we need His work done on the cross that removes our rags. Our pride is our stumbling block. No one wants to think anything but that we are basically good people. How many times have we heard this? "Oh, I do good things for people, give generously, help others, go to church, give to the church, work hard for a living, am patriotic and vote, teach these things to my children, so I believe I'm a good person. That goodness will be seen by a loving God and that will saved me." 

No, sadly, those works will not. We are to give ourselves to and delight ourselves first in Christ. He then gives us the desires of our hearts, which I believe become our good works. This is a hard word. Nothing we do without Christ is worthy. A confession of faith is first necessary. A devotion to Christ, not to ourselves. Apart from Christ we are nothing...nothing. 

When we confess our sins to Jesus, we are to, by faith, believe it is so. That's why Jesus said on the cross, "It is finished." His work was done. It was His work...not ours. All we need to do now is receive Him and accept that. We no longer need to return to repeat that confession if it's heartfelt in the first place. We can instantaneously ask for forgiveness when we have sinned...just ask Him then and there. No need to store up a list to confess later. 

The guilt and feeling of needing to be saved again and again is not having faith. I struggled with this idea for some time until I realized it was a once and for all thing. It should also not be a feeling of fear, a scare tactic toward salvation. If you have done this you will only receive peace, acceptance and a feeling of freedom.

How do I know these things? I've read them, not in the newspaper, self-help book or in the latest magazine or seen it in mainstream media (even fair and balanced) but in the Bible. I've experienced them and I've heard them preached, too, but it was after my acceptance that my eyes were opened. It was also then that I realized that I was loved for who I was...I was beautiful in His sight, warts and sins and all. Like Glenn Beck who daily tells us not to just believe him but check things out ourselves, we are to test the scriptures (Acts 17:11).

If our religion tells us our salvation is based on the good deeds we do, it's wrong! We can work our heinies off and never accomplish what Jesus did. We should not fear we will not be accepted if we don't do good. We can't ever be good enough. We can never do enough work. We can have confidence, however, that our heartfelt confession of Jesus Christ and devotion to Him will save us. The truth, the whole truth and nothing but this truth is: it is Jesus Christ who has done the thing...the one thing...He died for the forgiveness of our sins. Does that sound like something we can do? Does that sound like what other religions believe? God so loved the world....that He GAVE...GAVE... John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

Salvation is not works but simply accepting the free gift He has finished for us. It's not free if we have to work for it. Ephesians 2:8 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God...

Oh, people, such a simple matter that is so hard to comprehend. Probably because it's so simple. Why do we insist on complicating things or trying to strive for them? We can't imagine a God who loves us so much when we've been brought up in a society or world or family where it is expected that we "do" in order to be. I always felt if I was just smarter, just prettier, just thinner, achieved more, made less mistakes in everything I did, people, parents or friends would like me more; I'd be more accepted, more beautiful. Even today those thoughts linger until I remember that Jesus loves me the way I am because I have received His free gift of salvation. I am (we are) beautiful (as Mercy Me tells us in this song) in His eyes. Please watch the video! And to those whom I have criticized or have lost patience with, forgive me...you're beautiful too, especially to God.

Some day the truth will be revealed and it will be freeing. Until then, seek the truth. Search the scriptures for the truth of who Jesus is. Listen to His words. What freedom to know the simplicity of what He tells us. Grab your Bible or go online. Carefully, slowly, read the Book of John in the Gospels of the New Testament. That's all I ask. Challenge yourself. Refuse the mindset that it's too difficult to understand. Ask God to help you see. Ask that the voice of Jesus be heard. 

Psalm 37:4 - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.