3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.
In my morning devotions, I read the testimony of John Calvin from the book,'How they found Christ, in their own words' (Copywrite 1983) As a child, he was raised in a family that was, in his word, steep in the darkness of Catholic tradition, "such as confessing all my sin to a priest, to pray humbly for pardon and absolution, and secondly, to do good and by this erase our bad actions from Your remembrances. Lastly, in order to supply what was still lacking, we were to add sacrifices and restitutions to offset our sins. Then, because you are a stern judge and strict avenger of sin, they showed how dreadful Your presence must be. When, however, I had performed all those things, I was still far off from the peace of consciousness, for whenever I descended into myself or raised my mind to you, extreme terror seized me- terror, which no compensations or satisfactions could cure." It was during the time that John Calvin lived in Germany that the news started filtering out about the burning of Christian people in France.
Calvin soon realized that the peace of God came with knowing His son, Jesus Christ, and praying to him directly, not the Catholic priests.
Through a man sent to him, John Calvin was 'arrested' whereby God's message was clearly relayed and the personal relationship of Christ became his new reality.
As I read his testimony, I'm struck how similar it is even today how God uses people to share the truth of the gospel, the correct gospel, not the convoluted gospel that many people get through the religiosity of the time.
Many of us will surround our selves with the 'goodness of traditions and rituals without finding true meaning and purpose for our lives. It is as though we're on this constant religious treadmill that makes us exhausted. We may see Jesus on the cross every time we drive by a church building or see a cute Bible message on the billboard, or hear a Christian song on the radio, but we're still far away from knowing Him on a more personal level.
Often, it isn't until we suffer a major crisis in our life such as a loss of a loved one when we hear the gentle words of the Savior reminding us in Matthew 'and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”...
Unless we're pointed toward the cross and the redemptive power only Christ provides, most of us are on the constantly running religious treadmill trying to please God resulting in chronic despair.
In my city, there is a mosque no more than a mile from my home. It is a place where people of the Islamic faith go to pray. In some ways, my city reminds me of the city of my origin, the home to the largest group of Holocaust survivors, a city that welcomed rather than shun this group like so many other cities did at that time. Muslim people are in a period known as Ramadan- a period of prayer and fasting and seeking Allah ( God).
When people pray and fast. good things happen. Many people of the Muslim faith are making decisions for Christ after seeing Jesus in their dreams, despite the real threat of being disowned by their family of origin. The joy of knowing God on a more personal level far exceeds the risk of alienation and abandonment of their family of origin.
The Apostle Paul reminds us in Romans 1:16 with these words, ' For I am not ashamed of the gospel because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. Embrace your pain because God is doing some amazing things in your life.
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