Thankful, Day Eight

Make a joyful shout to the LORD, all you lands!
Serve the LORD with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the LORD, He is God.
It is He who has made us and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the LORD is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.
Psalm 100, NKJV

I was having a conversation not long ago which turned to the nature of belief for salvation, and the statement was made: "I believe in Jesus."

I responded with a question: "But what do you believe about him?"

They responded with another question: "Well, what do you mean when you ask if I believe in Jesus?"

I replied: "Do you believe that Jesus is the one and only unique Son of God, miraculously conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, died a sacrificial death to atone for all the sins of all humanity, that He rose from the dead after three days, ascended into heaven, and is now seated at the right hand of God?"

The answer: "Oh no, I don't believe that."

Alot of people want to believe in Jesus as an important historical figure or as a great teacher or a good man without actually putting their faith in Him for salvation. For some, it is a matter of thinking they don't need a savior. For others, it is a matter of thinking that any religion will do. For others still, it is a matter of thinking they are good enough to save themselves. But none of those things are true. We are all born in need of a savior, but not just any savior; we need the one and only Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ the righteous, who said, "If you believe in me, you will have eternal life!"

And what must the nature of that belief be? It's not merely acknowledging His existence. The Bible says the demons in hell believe in God and tremble at His name. It is about putting all of our faith, hope, confidence, and trust in the Almighty Creator and Sustainer of all that is, about coming to Him through Jesus Christ His son, about surrendering our lives to the One with all authority and accepting His will, plan, and purpose for us.

Today I'm thankful for the things that are finally coming together for my good and the glory of God; I've been waiting a long time for some of them.

I'm thankful for the good things that God has provided for me, the many blessings He has bestowed upon me, including some I can't yet tell you about!

I'm thankful for the promises of God, which are faithful and true; He's never let me down yet, and He's not going to start now.

What are you thankful for?