God’s Greatest Gift of Love
In the New Testament Book of Romans, Paul describes what life without Christ is like: heartbreakingly distant from the God who made us and loves us. But he also describes the goodness and grace of Jesus, the only path back to God through salvation.
In Romans 5:8 Paul explains that while we were still distant from God and running from Him, God sent Jesus to die for us. It’s through this that God displays His ultimate love for us as children.
Paul isn’t just speaking in theory—he is speaking from experience! God met Paul in the midst of his work to persecute Christians. And while Paul was an enemy of God, God still made a way for Paul to come back to the heart of Jesus.
The same is true of us.
Regardless of what our life looks on the outside, we all start at the same place as Paul–we were all once distant from God. And it is only through Jesus that we have been brought close to God, and are now part of God’s family. You have a way back to God, thanks to Jesus' sacrifice!
Jesus Does The Impossible
Jesus’ statement in Matthew 19:26 is often taken out of context. Many people have taken this verse to mean that they can do anything they want in life because God can do the impossible. Often this can lead to selfish prayers and a small view of God.
In order to understand what Jesus is saying, we should read the preceding verses. In Matthew 19:16-22, a young man comes to Jesus asking for eternal life. Jesus tells him that he must give up all of his earthly possessions—something the young man is not willing to do. Because he failed the test, the young man failed to inherit eternal life.
Jesus says in Matthew 19:23 that it is very difficult for a rich man to enter heaven. The point is that loving Jesus requires everything we are. Our ultimate love cannot be split between Jesus and something else.
The disciples then ask, “Who can be saved?” Jesus responds in Matthew 19:26 that it is impossible for man to save himself—but it is possible with God. God can do the ...