November 26, 2023
Salvation is by grace through faith.
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
“The gospel is in conflict with religion because religion is by default based on performance. Religion says, ‘I obey, therefore I am accepted by God.’ The gospel says, ‘I am accepted by God through Christ, therefore I obey.’”
J.D. Greear
“Believe or faith” does not mean an intellectual agreement or wishful thinking, but rather to
A saving faith in Jesus means we trust He
Gospel living means those who are saved through faith now
THE PAUSE: 10 MINUTES WITH GOD
MONDAY | ABSOLUTELY FREE
PASSAGE: Ephesians 2:8-9
PAUSE: Salvation is by grace alone in Christ alone! God’s gift of salvation is absolutely free! Christ paid the penalty for our sins. There is absolutely nothing we can do to earn God’s love and approval. Our salvation is a gift from God.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for the gift of salvation. Forgive me for the times I still try to earn or keep Your approval. I accept the freeness of Your gift.
TUESDAY | WHOEVER BELIEVES
PASSAGE: John 3:36
PAUSE: What a wonderful promise! Around 100x in the Gospel of John, the sole condition for salvation is the word “believe.” The question we must all answer is whether we are part of the “whoever’s?” Salvation is free, but it is conditional. It requires that we each place our faith in Christ as our Savior.
PRAYER: Father, thank you for the wonderful promise of eternal life. Open doors for me to share Your promise with those who don’t know You.
WEDNESDAY | CROSSING OVER
PASSAGE: John 5:24
PAUSE: Whenever Jesus says “truly, truly” or “amen, amen,” He wants us to know that we can trust Him and His promises. His promise is clear. When we trust in Christ for eternal life, we miraculously cross over from death to life. It is foolish to worry about being condemned to hell ever again; we crossed over.
PRAYER: Father, what an amazing word picture of crossing over from death to life. I desire to live an abundant life with You, trusting in Your promises of life.
THURSDAY | THE WILL OF THE FATHER
PASSAGE: John 6:40
PAUSE: Discovering God’s will for our life is sometimes overwhelming. Yet in one simple statement, Jesus said that the will of the Father is to believe in Christ for eternal life. Carefully notice the added promise of our resurrection!
PRAYER: Father, You not only promise us eternal life, but You guarantee that we will be resurrected with You on the last day! In this promise, I rejoice!
FRIDAY | YES, I BELIEVE
PASSAGE: John 11:27
PAUSE: What do you believe? Martha was confident and boldly proclaimed that Jesus was the Christ (the Messiah), and that Jesus was the Son of God, who had been promised in the Old Testament. The goal of this series is for all of us to boldly proclaim that we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. If you have never said “Yes Lord, I believe,” please do so or ask someone for help today!
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for the Gospel, thank you for the gift of salvation, for eternal life, the promises of life, and the resurrection to come!