God's Grace

[Hiswillbedone]

How Amazing Will The Feeling Be To Just Stop And Say… Finally, We Are Here In Heaven… After All The Struggle We had To Endure On Earth... We Are Finally Here With Our Lord Jesus...

And to think my entrance to that wonderful place called heaven was all due to God's amazing grace... I don't know, but this thought causes my soul to flame for doing my Father's will, so I can thank Him for this gift that He gave me.

I want to be able to be in the right position to accept this gift. I don't want to reject Him in any way.

This thought is what motivates me when I get up...

 

[Jakesoulsatstake]

Its absolutely a great thing to think about, though a lot of the world is not teaching to obey Jesus and what he taught.

So I'm definitely with you for wanting to be in heaven and with the Lord Jesus but how can that be unless we obey him?

Such a teaching of Jesus that churches wont tell you , is call no man on earth Father and have special titles for each other.

Matt 23:8 - 10

 

[regibassman57]

@Life,
I think it's important to understand that if "Eternal Life" was a "Free Gift", (Grace alone) a believer would not have to do "ANYTHING" to obtain it. A believer would not have to love his neighbor or himself. A believer would not have to change their character and put on Christ (Eph. 4:22-24). God saved man while we were sinners still in sin (Rom. 5:8). God knew we were sinners, so He should accept us as He knows we are - but that's not how it works. God has given every believer the ability to change and put on the character of Christ. God has given believers the responsibility to show their love for what He has done for the world.; and unlike the Mosaic Law, He's not going to make us. If a person loves Christ, they will put Him on; if they don't, they will not.

John 14:21
He that hath my commandments, and keeps them, he it is that loves me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

John 14:23
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John 14:24
He that loves me not keeps not my sayings: and the word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.

John 12:25
He that loves his life shall lose it; and he that hates his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.

If a man loves Jesus "they will" obey Christ.

Hebrews 5:9
And being made perfect, Jesus became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

 

[Hiswillbedone]

Thanks @Jakesoulsatstake and @regibassman57 for your comments. I hope I didn't give the impression that Jesus doesn't expect us to "accept" the free gift that He has given us. I am in complete agreement, what we must do is accept the free gift that Jesus payed for us on the cross.

Now this is my question to you guys... How do we accept this gift? What must we do/not do?

I will be keen to hear your response.

In peace

 

[Jakesoulsatstake]

Jesus says that you must obey him and his commandments. And that we will be judged whether or not we did what he taught. John 12:48

He teaches to stop working for money Matt 6 :24 Luke 16:13
Sell everything you have and give it to the poor Luke 12:33
Stop praying out loud Matt 6:5- 6
Give in secret Matt 6:4
Call no man on earth (Do you refer to your 'dad' as father or dad, use his name instead) As well as refering to others with titles Matt 23:7-10

You must obey him and do these things , or why call him Lord at all

This is growing around the world. People are actually doing these things.
Not working for money anymore
Selling all they had
He says also to preach the gospel (Telling others to obey him)

 

[Hiswillbedone]

Jesus says that you must obey him and his commandments. And that we will be judged whether or not we did what he taught. John 12:48

He teaches to stop working for money Matt 6 :24 Luke 16:13
Sell everything you have and give it to the poor Luke 12:33
Stop praying out loud Matt 6:5- 6
Give in secret Matt 6:4
Call no man on earth (Do you refer to your 'dad' as father or dad, use his name instead) As well as refering to others with titles Matt 23:7-10

You must obey him and do these things , or why call him Lord at all

This is growing around the world. People are actually doing these things.
Not working for money anymore
Selling all they had
He says also to preach the gospel (Telling others to obey him)

What !? You mean to tell me that people are actually going into all the world preaching the gospel and they are not working at a paid job?

This seems pretty radical to me, but also hard to believe. If I stop working for money, then how will I provide for myself and family? You don't expect me to just sit around and do nothing and expect God to provide for me? Of course not! What we need to do is work, for Paul writes, "Anyone who does not WORK, cannot eat." (2 thessalonians 3:10).

The Bible is full of people that worked hard and God blessed them with prosperity (eg. Abraham, Solomon, David). If God prospered them materially, and if He is the same yesterday, today, and forever, then wouldn't He want the same thing for me and my family?

I just can't see how the idea of quitting my job and not working for money will work in today's world.

I, personally, think that a lot of what Jesus taught was only for the Jews of His time, and we don't have to follow what Jesus taught because He paid it all for me on the cross.

Even though I say all of this, I am still open to being wrong. I think God always wants us to be like little children ready to accept new truth as He reveals it to us. This idea of actually obeying what Jesus taught has never been taught to me all the years I've gone to church, so I would need some more proof-texts before I can believe that God would want me to forsake all that I own and quit my job to work full-time preaching the gospel.

In peace & Love