The Reason of the Gospel

"For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."
Romans 1:16 (NKJV)

Image by rawpixel from Pixabay

What is the Gospel? What is in the Good News that the souls of the lost world desperately cry for it?

The Father's love and the gift of salvation tied with it is the Gospel. The unconditional love of the Father God is easily accessed to each and every child of His.' And you, dear friend, is His child. You are not exempted, you are not excluded. 

The famous Bible verse, John 3:16 sums it all—"Yes, God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him would not be lost but have eternal life." (ERV)

One doesn't have to be perfect to be accepted by His Creator. To become perfect is totally impossible! If you wait for that time to come, you will leave this world in despair. The way to eternal life is easy. In fact, it's too good to be true that many people doubt it. Why? Because you don't have to do anything but only believe and accept. Believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God sent by Him to redeem you from sin and receive Him as your Lord and Savior. That's all you need. You do not have to do good things first and then present yourself to God so He will approve of you. You don't have to cleanse yourself from bad habits, attitude, character, or addiction beforehand so you can enter into His presence. God's love is not limited by what you do. It does not depend on whether you do good or bad. You were already loved even before the foundation of the earth. And that love was decided to have no condition attached to it. It's fixed and therefore cannot be changed. Whether you live your life in darkness or in the light, the love of your Father God hasn't changed a thing. It is the kind of love that the finite mind cannot fully understand.

Come as you are into His loving arms. Be bold in doing so for you are His beloved child after all. He has been patiently waiting for your homecoming. Cannot you feel it? Cannot you see it? See and feel it in your heart, then you will know. His arms wide outstretched, longing to wrap you in it. You are loved. You are treasured by the Creator of the universe who happens to be your Abba, Father. Once you were lost, but now you're found. Once you were blind, but now you see. You are a new creation. Rejoice child of God! The kingdom of God is at hand, freely given, all because of His enduring love for you!

Daily Devotional: The Worth of Two Small Coins

Photo Credit: Pixabay @Pixarama

Mark 12:41-44
Then Jesus sat down opposite the chests for the Temple offerings, and watched how the people put money into them. Many rich people were putting in large sums; but one poor widow came and put in two small coins, worth very little. Then, calling His disciples to Him, Jesus said, “I tell you that this poor widow has put in more than all the others who were putting money into the chests; for everyone else put in something from what he had to spare, while she, in her need, put in all she had – everything that she had to live on."

I very much admire the generosity and faith of the widow mentioned in these passages. Despite of her poverty and lack at that very moment, she thought of the LORD first than herself. She put every coin she has. What character! What faith! What a heart!

Talking about the rich people in the scene, I can surely relate myself having the same "attitude"in the matter of offerings. I think of what I can spare for myself first, then decide what I can offer to the LORD. Like the rich people in this story, I tossed in the extra, not the source. In God's way of economy, it's the other way around. The widow in this story totally understood this principle. More so, she didn't allow her poverty to hinder herself from honoring God of what she had. She offered it all. Her offering sprung from a genuine love and gratefulness to her Creator. She was not worried nor ashamed of the amount of money she can give. All she wanted was offer what she had.  Jesus saw her heart and her faith, and He counted her offering to be much more worth than what the rich people offered, combined. I believe in my heart that God rewarded her for it with abundance of what she lacked once.

I desire to change the attitude of my heart in my offering. My heart desires to have the kind of character and faith the widow has. It's going to be a process. It can be long or short, depending on how I respond to the leading of the Holy Spirit. I can sometimes be stingy, greedy, fearful of the future along the process. But I will ask for God's grace as I walk through this course.

My heart yearns to have a cheerful, faithful, generous heart. A heart that believes my future is secure in every circumstance. A heart with no reservations in my giving and sharing what I have to those in need. How much I am willing to give, is how much I am willing to receive. My sowing will reap rewards from Him who made heaven and earth. Most importantly, it's the attitude of my heart that truly matters first and foremost.

His Daughter of Little Faith (Re-post)

(Re-posted and edited personal blog written in November 2006.)

Alone in my quiet moment with God, I settled myself on bed. A headphone was tucked on my ears, enjoying one of Hillsong's albums lent by a brother in my choir. I adore Hillsong Music. I find myself patronizing their music more. I think I'll grow old having their songs sealed on my lips.

There's one issue glued on my mind. Faith. How much faith do I have for God?

The question led me to the faith I have on the material things I use everyday. I thought of my confidence on these things, how I trust each one will serve me according to its specific purpose. The faith in shampoo and soap to clean up the dirt; the faith on clothes I wear to make me look good; the faith for comb to untangle messy hair. The list is too long to mention everything.

 I have faith in God. But honestly, it's a faith that wavers all the time. When dipped in a hot, bubbling barrel of test which seemed like impassable for my carnal mind, I doubt the help God promised me. The amount of faith I have for the material things and human beings around me is bigger than the faith I have for God. Pathetic. Yet, the truth speaks for itself. I don't doubt the  adequacy of material things to gratify me. But with God, I have a half-baked faith. It's not absolute. It's a faith supplemented with doubts and fears.

I am not comparing God with earthly things. My God is incomparable. All I desire is to have faith in Him. A faith enveloped in full confidence and assurance. A faith like I give my chair at work to support my whole body all throughout the day. A faith I have on food to satisfy my cravings. Faith on a chilled bottle of water to quench my thirst. Sounds too easy, effortless. He asks me the same faith, even if the size is only as tiny as a mustard seed.

My mind says the faith my heart desires to have for God is impossible. But His Word says, with God, all things are possible. I believe in the Word.

My faith in God is developed in time through sufferings, pains, trials, tests, afflictions. It is not an overnight project. It is something I have to learn, re-learn. Take, re-take. I will never have faith without going through dark seasons of life. In my darkness, there I see God's love shining down on me, His abounding grace covers me. My faith increases. My faith perfected.

I pray and ask for a renewed, unshakable faith. A faith that never doubt nor fear. An absolute faith. A faith that surrenders everything to my Father, come what may. A faith that proudly says "You are my Almighty God. In You, everything I trust."

(10 years after  I wrote this blog, my faith in God has grown and is still growing.  There are bits in my life where I have a hard time giving in. Despite my little faith on these areas, my Father, always, always, lavish me His unwavering faithfulness.)

Related verses

Matthew 7:7

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Matthew 6:30

If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

Matthew 9:22

Jesus turned and saw her. "Take heart, daughter," he said, "your faith has healed you." And the woman was healed from that moment.

Romans 4:20-21

"Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what He had promised."

Blooming in Grace,

Riza