God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. [Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)]
Many years ago, while my son and his pals were playing baseball in the field next to the Miller house, the ball ended up going through the Miller’s window! When my son returned home, he asked me to call Mrs. Miller and ask for the return of his ball. Once I knew how the ball came to be in her possession, I told him he had to pay for the broken window before getting back his ball. So, for the next few weeks, the boy worked extra chores to pay off his debt.
Some people think of good works like the chores my son did to redeem his baseball. They picture a heavenly bookkeeper with a holy ledger who deposits their good deeds in the credit column and their sins in the debit. Whenever they err, a withdrawal is made from the works side to pay for the sin. It seems like a good plan. After all, my son worked off his debt so why can’t we just work off our sin debt?
If God used a balance scale with good works placed on one tray and sins on the other, how would the weight of good works and sins be determined? Would putting a dollar into the red kettle at Christmas be the same as being a hospice volunteer? Would petty theft weigh the same as grand larceny or adultery as much as mass murder? How many sins would be paid off by a mission trip? What would you need to discharge the sins of deceiving a spouse, gossiping about a neighbor, taking unfair advantage of someone, misappropriating funds, or cheating on your taxes?
Salvation, however, cannot be earned nor is it for sale. That’s good news for me since I know my sins far outweigh my good works and there’s no way I could do enough to purchase my salvation. Moreover, we can’t stock up good turns, kindness, benevolence, generosity, and service to pay for future sins. Thinking our worth comes from our works undervalues God’s gift of grace because good works aren’t what save us from spiritual bankruptcy! Salvation comes from Jesus alone! He paid our sin debt in full with his blood when He died on the cross.
When my son told me about the mishap at the Millers, he insisted he wasn’t the one who hit the ball that broke their window. Claiming his innocence, he protested paying someone else’s debt. It may not have been fair but it was necessary. Someone had to pay the Millers for their busted window and no one else came forward.
As the sinless Lamb of God, Jesus was far more innocent of any wrongdoing than my son. Nevertheless, He paid both my debt and yours! The only one who was absolutely free of sin deliberately chose to take the full weight of God’s justice for sins He didn’t commit! Jesus paid a debt He didn’t owe because mankind owed a debt that couldn’t be paid! It wasn’t fair, but it was necessary.
The Gospel is good news of mercy to the undeserving. The symbol of the religion of Jesus is the cross, not the scales. [John Stott]
While the year is 2024 on most calendars, it is year 5785 on the Hebrew calendar and the tenth day of Tishri begins at sunset tomorrow. For our Jewish brothers and sisters, it will be the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur. With its themes of atonement and repentance, it the holiest day of the year for a Jew.
Hearing the bird’s shrill harsh scream, I looked up expecting to see a blue jay. To my surprise, it was a mockingbird. Of all the beautiful songs it can imitate, I wondered why the mockingbird chose the strident call of the jay. Then, remembering how many blue jays inhabit our neighborhood, I realized their raucous “jaaaaay” is what the mockingbird frequently hears so that has become part of his song.
In Letters to Malcom, C. S. Lewis wrote, “We, or at least I, shall not be able to adore God on the highest occasions if we have learned no habit of doing so on the lowest. … Any patch of sunlight in a wood will show you something about the sun which you could never get from reading books on astronomy. These pure and spontaneous pleasures are ‘patches of Godlight’ in the woods of our experience.”
I think the worst thing my parents could say was that they were disappointed in me. Knowing I hadn’t lived up to their high expectations, I’d hang my head in shame as they added, “We expected far better from you.” I never wanted to disappoint them but, unfortunately, like every child, I often did.
Fish play a prominent role in Scripture, especially in the New Testament. Jesus preached from a fishing boat, the first disciples were fishermen, and Jesus called them to be fishers of men. It was at His instruction that Peter found tax money in the mouth of a fish and the disciples netted two miraculous catches of fish. Jesus multiplied a few fish and loaves into food enough to feed thousands not once but twice! He compared the Kingdom of Heaven to a fishing net and, after His resurrection, Jesus even ate fish twice with the disciples. The frequent mention of fish in the New Testament, however, doesn’t fully explain how the fish symbol (ixthus/icthus) came to be one of the most recognized symbols of Christianity today.
Devotions of the Heart 