Secondhand Faith!

Our faith cannot be secondhand. It cannot be based upon another's faith, be they parents, teachers or elders. We cannot work for it. We cannot earn it. It is not achieved by doing what the church or denomination expects of us. Salvation is ours totally by the grace of God. It is revealed through the Word of God and through the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit into our lives. This new relationship we have is confirmed by the Holy Spirit for "The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children" (Romans 8:16). The Christian life is a life full of purpose and meaning. It is not until we begin to comprehend the privileged position of being in the family of God and the vast blessings of being a child of God, that we get a glimpse of the magnificence of this new life in Christ. Not only do we experience a previously unknown joy, but have an incredible peace and a sense of security, as we learn that God, in his sovereignty, is in control of everything. We respond to God our Father with gratitude and thanksgiving. We offer him our devotion and our worship of him becomes real. We constantly remind ourselves, we did not find God, it was God who found us.       Words from my forthcoming book "Real faith - It's not for the faint of heart!"