"Taking It For Granted"

"The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." Romans 8:16

Yesterday we talked about guarding the "spiritual treasures" that the Lord has given us. One way we do that is by not taking them for granted.

When you think about taking something for granted, it usually deals with the treatment of something- it is ignored, neglected or treated with indifference. This morning I want to talk about another form of taking something for granted which deals with accepting something without question-- namely, taking for granted that we are saved when we may very well not be.

Many people never question whether they are truly saved or not because they are "church goers" or "good people". We take for granted that we are saved because we were raised in a Christian nation, or because we go to church, or because we haven't cheated on our spouse, or because we shook some preacher's hand and joined a particular church. Others take for granted that they are saved because they believe that God is real and does exist.

Religious acts or just being good is not what saves us. The Pharisees were very religious, but Jesus called them the "children of the devil". The rich young ruler was a "good" guy, but he missed out on eternal life. Those who will stand before Jesus one day testifying of all the miraculous works that they did in His name while on earth will be told to depart from Him.

If you are taking for granted that you are saved just because of some religious act that you have done or are doing, then you need to check and make sure it is truly right between you and the Lord. You need to make sure you aren't trusting in your own goodness and deeds to save you. Salvation is about receiving the Savior- Jesus Christ- and then following Him the rest of your life. It is not about doing religious things but about having a relationship with the Father, which comes through Jesus Christ the Son. Your eternal well-being is far too serious to take for granted that you are saved because of what you do. It is not about what you do, but who you know. Do you really know Jesus, and does He really know you?

Have a great day. You can't afford to take for granted that you are saved because of some religious acts that you do.

For further reading:
James 2:19
Ephesians 2:8,9
John 8:44
Matthew 7:22,23; 19:16-22

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Coffee Break is a morning devotional written by Lorraine Ezell
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