"Anyone who wants to live all out for Christ is in for a lot of trouble; there's
no getting around it. Unscrupulous con men will continue to exploit the faith.
They're as deceived as the people they lead astray. As long as they are out
there, things can only get worse. But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you
learned and believed . . ." (2 Tim 3:12-14, MSG)
If we are not founded in the truth of our Heavenly Father, we will easily be
misled by "unscrupulous con men" who will seem legitimate, but are not. These
con men will use the Scriptures and turn them to their own advantage.
Interestingly enough, these con men are quite prideful. The evil one would do
anything to thwart God's Message, and far too many follow his lead. No wonder we
are in trouble (See John 15:19b-20)!
We have to stand firm on the Gospel message from Jesus Himself as described in
the New Testament: "For what I received I passed on to you as of first
importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he
was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and
that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to
more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of
whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to
James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to
one abnormally born." (1Cor 15:3-8, NIV2)
To summarize this, we are saved by what Jesus did for us. Nothing else can save
us, not our actions, nor our endeavors, not our behavior. Jesus is our only
Savior. We are not our own saviors! Sadly, many doubt their salvation as they
believe in a twisted version of the gospel message, where works are emphasized
above anything else. This is not the Gospel message. On the contrary, "For it is
by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it
is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph 2:8-9, NIV2)
Interestingly enough, when we take Jesus' message to heart and accept Him as our
Lord and Savior, we will be able to face adversity with a smile. Peace will
reign in our heart. "(Jesus promised) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give
you." (John 14:27a, NIV2) At the same time, we don't doubt about our salvation,
as we trust solely on Jesus! "Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of
his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, 'Abba, Father.' So you are no
longer a slave, but God's child; and since you are his child, God has made you
also an heir." (Gal 4:6-7, NIV2)
We either trust in Jesus or we trust in ourselves. One guarantees salvation, the
other brings doubt. If that inner peace does not reign in our hearts, it may be
time to meet the Risen one, only He can give us that delightful gift.
Peace is a reality in my life. Let me give you an example: I love teaching. One
day I had recess duty. Somehow some first graders succeeded in stealing my keys.
Boy they certainly were fast. No way would I be able to catch them. It didn't
matter, some students from my class noticed what had happened. They went after
those first graders without hurting them in any way and brought my keys back
with a big grin.
Even among the big kids in grade 8, I never have to be worried. Truly though, my
Father is orchestrating all of this. No wonder I enjoy teaching. My Heavenly
Father reveals Himself in amazing ways.
Have you lost your keys? Don't worry. Trust in our Father, He will lead you to
them!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.