John 3:16-17
For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
It is unfortunate that many people have been led to believe that they must do something good to merit salvation. They feel that if their good deeds outweigh their bad deeds they will make it to heaven.
There are some religions that teach a doctrine of self-sacrifice. They believe that the more you suffer the greater your eternal reward. Tragically, that is not the case. There is simply no way that we can be good enough to be acceptable in God’s sight. In fact, we read in Isaiah 64:6 that our best righteousness is nothing but filthy rags. If that is what our best is, just imagine what our worst deeds are?
So if we cannot achieve salvation by our righteousness, then how can we be saved? The answer is found in today’s Scripture. It is what God has done for us. He knew that the blood of an innocent sacrifice was required. That meant that God had to send His only Son, Jesus, to offer Himself as the full payment for our sins.
Notice that the purpose of Jesus coming into the world was not to condemn us, but to provide salvation for us. It is in confessing that we are sinners and accepting Jesus into our hearts that we are saved. We either accept Him or reject His provision for our salvation. There is no middle ground. Have you received Him?
Blessings dear hearts. Draw near to God today, trust Him completely and be a blessing!
—Pastor Cecil
P.S. – You can find previous E-Votionals covering a variety of Scriptures and topics to help you in your walk with the Lord at www.Daily-E-Votional.com
My book, 100 of Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations, is now available on Kindle books. Just go the Kindle store and type in “Pastor Cecil’s Select Illustrations,” or “Pastor Cecil Thompson.”