CHRISTianity 101…

romans 9.16 (lb), GOD’s blessings are not given just because somebody decides to have them. or work hard to get them. they are given because GOD takes pity on those HE wants to. notice, takes pity. another way to say that is “grace.” GOD does everything in your life simply because of HIS grace. HE wants to do it not because you deserve it.

what is grace? grace is GOD giving you what you need not what you deserve. grace is everything, every blessing that GOD is able to give you because of JESUS CHRIST. grace – GOD’s riches at CHRIST’s expense. JESUS CHRIST has paid for all the blessings in your life. it’s only in a relationship with GOD, through HIS SON JESUS that you can begin to have the blessings of GOD in your life.

so you may think “i’m waiting on GOD to bless me.” but the truth is you’re not waiting on HIM. HE’s waiting on you.

luke 4.19 (lb), GOD is ready to give blessings to all who come to HIM. key word here is ready. GOD says, I’m waiting on you. I want you to get blessable. and I want you to come to me so I can bless you.

GOD has already taken the first step so you can be blessed. romans 5.10 (lb), since we were brought back to GOD by the death of HIS SON [that’s JESUS] what blessings HE must have for us now that we are HIS friends and HE is living within us.

some of you probably don’t know what it’s all about so let me just pause here to explain CHRISTianity 101. if you want to know what the bible says in a nutshell this is it.

first, GOD made you. you didn’t make yourself. and HE made you to know HIM, to love HIM, to serve HIS purposes here on earth and then to live with HIM in eternity.

two, you have not done these thing. you have not known GOD. you have not loved GOD. and you have not served HIS purposes here on earth. in fact, in the morning you don’t get up and say, “GOD, what do you want me to do?” you get up and say, “what am i going to do today?” and when you get your check you don’t say, “GOD, how do YOU want me to spend this money?” you say, “how am i going to spend my money?” and same with your time. you say, “i’m going to do my own thing with my time.” the bible calls this sin and it says we’ve all done it. you’ve done it, i’ve done it. we’ve all done it. we’ve all gone our own way. i could go weeks, months – i could probably go years without thinking about GOD if i wanted to. i would just go on my merry way planning my life with my dreams and my ambitions and my goals without even considering the fact that GOD made me for HIS purposes. the bible says that’s wrong.

so point three, GOD sent JESUS CHRIST to come to earth to bring you back to HIMself. HE came and died on the cross so that all the things you’ve done wrong could be forgiven so you could come back to GOD.

just a thought from the front porch…