by Gregory A. JohnsonCheck out this paragraph taken from God’s word, the Bible:
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. Those who indulge in sexual sin, or who worship idols, or commit adultery, or are male prostitutes, or practice homosexuality, or are thieves, or greedy people, or drunkards, or are abusive, or cheat people—none of these will inherit the Kingdom of God. Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11 NLT).The last two sentences thrill me the most:
Some of you were once like that. But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11 NLT).The key word is “were.” The list of sins that the paragraph begins with is what some of us were. God does not want our focus to be on what we were as much as He wants us to always remember what He has done for us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. We all were sinners that fell way short of what God designed us to be, but He did not leave us in that state. No, he did something about it. Because He loves us so much, he sent His Son to pay the penalty and take the punishment for our sins.
Praise God for his grace. Praise God for loving us. Thank Jesus for setting us free from sin and giving us life!
That is good, but God didn’t stop there. He gave us His Spirit! His Spirit molds and shapes us into something new and good. What was wrong in our life is made right. What was bad is made good. It is like being born all over again. Not only does He make us good, we no longer want to do what is bad. The Spirit of God leads us and guides us along the path of righteousness as we follow Jesus.
Beloved, what we were is in the past. It’s good to remember what we were and realize what God has brought us from. By His grace and through His love he made a way for us. That way is Jesus. Not only does He make a way for us, but He also empowers us through His Spirit to live right. Our inheritance is coming, so no matter what you are going through, lift up your head, and be encouraged. The best is yet to come!
PLAY today’s video teaching from Pastor Greg
Know that you are loved,
gaj
