8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
It's important for us to remember that we can work and work, but it is ONLY by God's grace that we will make it to heaven. No matter how much, or how little we do..... if you do not believe that Jesus is your Savior, welcome God into your heart, and follow Him all the days of your life, you will not meet God at those pearly gates. Take our work today....
We hauled broken up concrete, we dumped that concrete, we scraped drippings from last years project off of floor tiles, we dug a trench in a concrete floor, we used jackhammers, chisels, power saws and grinders, and nail guns. We installed framework for the sheetrock and we rested.... but no matter how much of this we did, no matter how many hours we put in, no matter how exhausted we are after all of that work.......and no matter that we did it here on the Methodist Church grounds.... we will not make it to heaven without God as our master.
Isn't is refreshing to know that from the person who swept concrete dust to the person using a jackhammer all day, to the person doing laundrey for the team, to the person cooking meals, to the person just sharing his or her faith with a customer in line at the grocery store..... no matter who we are and what kind of 'works' we do, we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, and we will meet again some day.
Ephesians says that we are saved by God's gift, so that no one can boast....... We need to really pay attention to that. If you feel like you need to brag or boast about all that you have done, or all that you do.... maybe you really aren't working for God....... maybe you are working for yourself. If we are truely working for God, we don't need to tell everyone how great we are... people can see it.
Tomorrow promises to be another great day in Costa Rica, at la Iglesia Fuente de Gracia. We have a lot more work to do... but I'm not boasting, I'm just sayin'. God is good friends.... All the time. All the time........ (you fill in the blank).
Before we go, we would like to ask for prayer for a very special member of our team. The youth pastor here at Fuenta de Gracia ( in the red t-shirt) has a 4 month old little boy. His name is Ismael and was born a month prematurely. On his first day of life, he had a heart valve replaced. He is scheduled to return to his doctor in San Jose (4 hours away) on February 12. His check up in November revealed normal development and progress. Actually, the doctors said that if they had not read his charts, and seen the scar, they would not have known that the baby had any problems. Keep Carlos and his family im your prayers.
Good night, God bless you, and we all love you!
Amen!
ReplyDelete...All the Time. Glad things are going well, we will continue to lift you up in our prayers. While we are enjoying your reports and are grateful for your service, know that we miss you here as well and look forward to your return.
ReplyDeleteHey guys,
ReplyDeleteHope all is well there in Costa Rica. It was great seeing you all through Skype Sunday - makes me miss not going this year....but you know how vacation from work goes. I didn't see Jim in any of the photos?
Anyway, I miss you guys. It looks like you've accomplished a lot so far and I know that God will use your hard work to further His kingdom there in Costa Rica.
God bless and be safe.
Chrs