UNDER NEW MANAGMENT
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation.
The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Most of us seem eager to get something for nothing – or for as little as possible. We eagerly accept offers of “free” merchandise – whether we need it or not. We are eager to take whatever we can get – while giving as little as we must.
Sometimes we respond to God that way too. We may be eager to receive His gift of salvation, but we do not want to give Him anything in return. Salvation by grace sounds like such a wonderful “bargain” that we feel we can’t possibly go wrong accepting it. If Jesus is all that the Bible says He is, our benefits will be tremendous. And if the Bible should happen to be wrong, we won’t lose very much because we haven’t “invested” very much.
But that is not what the Bible teaches us. Though grace is truly free, salvation is not “cheap.” Jesus paid a tremendous price to earn it, and we must be prepared to pay a price to receive it. Though we cannot earn salvation itself, we must be ready to serve the One who earned it for us. Anyone who desires to receive Jesus as Savior must be ready to serve Him as Lord. Anyone who refuses to do that shows that he has never understood what it means to be “saved by grace.” Salvation is not simply a matter of writing “PAID” over the record of our sins. Salvation involves a new birth. When we are saved, the Holy Spirit gives us a new heart and makes us into new people. We are, as the Bible says, born again.
If, therefore, there is no change in our hearts when we are saved; if there is no true desire to begin our lives under new management; if we do not acknowledge that Jesus is now our Lord and Master, then we will have to seriously question whether we have ever truly been saved in the first place.
But never serve Jesus only out of obligation. Serve Him with gratitude and delight. When you serve Jesus as Lord, you are serving the Master of the entire universe. His power is there to strengthen you, His love to surround you, His grace to uphold you, and His resources to provide for you. You will never know life’s greatest blessings and deepest joys until you gratefully receive Jesus as your Savior and then joyfully serve Him as your Lord.
- J.
Prayer:
Dear Lord,
Thank you for bearing our sins, taking them to the cross and making it possible for us to live with you in heaven for eternity. Help me to serve You with joy and excitement. Amen.
Daily Scripture
Reading the Bible can be very meaningful. We hope that the following passages are meaningful for you. With each day’s readings, we encourage you to first pray for understanding. After reading ask yourself, “What did I learn about God?” “What did I learn about myself?” and “Is there anything that I read that I would like to apply to my life?”
Weekly Topic- One Year Reading Plan:
Thursday, Mar. 21 -
Genesis 22, Genesis 23,
Matthew 8.
Friday, Mar. 22 -
Genesis 24, Genesis 25,
Matthew 9.
Saturday, Mar. 23 -
Genesis 26, Genesis 27,
Psalm 7 & 8.
Sunday, Mar. 24 -
Genesis 28, Genesis 29,
Matthew 10.
Monday, Mar. 25 -
Genesis 30, Genesis 31,
Matthew 11.
Tuesday, Mar. 26 -
Genesis 32, Genesis 33,
Matthew 12.
Wednesday, Mar. 27 -
Genesis 34, Genesis 35-36,
Psalm 9.
Thursday, Mar. 28 -
Genesis 37 , Genesis 38,
Matthew 13.
Friday, Mar. 29 -
Genesis 39 , Genesis 40,
Matthew 14.