Do you remember the story of the little boy who cried wolf? The boy was guarding the sheep, and he was supposed to call out if a wolf came, so the villagers would come to save the sheep. The boy cried "wolf" 2 or 3 times when there was no wolf. The villagers came, were disappointed, and when the wolf actually showed up, it didn't matter how many times or how loudly the boy cried "wolf", they didn't trust him enough to come and help... and the sheep were attacked. Trust is earned.
Most kids are like my kids. They want you to trust them, but they make choices that kids their age tend to make that make it hard to trust them. They will say, "I'll change," or "I'll be different next time," or "Why don't you trust me?" Trust is earned.
In John 2:24-25, we learn that Jesus did not entrust himself to the new believers because he knew the nature of man. If Jesus had entrusted himself to sinful man, he would have gotten off course and he would not have been able to save us. He knew that we could not - in our present condition - save ourselves, so he entrusted himself to His Father, God, and he went to the cross and died for you and me. Trust is earned, and Jesus can be trusted even if we cannot. When you admit that you can't save yourself - that you'll NEVER be good enough - then you can find the salvation in Jesus Christ that is freely offered. Trust is earned... Salvation is not earned, but it is freely given to all who call on the name of the Lord (Romans 10).
We are not saved because of what we do (earned)... we are saved because of what Jesus did (trust).
3 comments:
Thanks Nathan for the reminder. What an awesome God who will accept us even when we are not good.
When my mind and actions get involved in my daily life, I am constantly reminded of my "sinful nature" and of my need for Jesus. Instead of letting it discourage me, I am moved to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. If I am told that "I'm okay", it moves me to be more complacent and ignore the development of my relationship with Jesus (the journey). Thank you Jesus for your acceptance and for your salvation!
Yea, I have personally witnessed this complancency in my life. I have recently stepped up my prayer life to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. Your sermon last Sunday really spoke to me about this, so keep up the great work as you are making an impact. Your Brother in Christ.
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