God’s Grace Today’s Scripture: John 6-8 He saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. – Titus 3:5 All during my growing-up years, what little religious instruction I was given led me to believe that good works was the key to going to heaven. But through a series of events, I did something that turned my life upside-down, or maybe I should say right-side-up. I bought a Bible and read it from cover to cover, and God took hold of my heart. My wife and I gave our lives to Christ and vowed to follow Him all our days. My mother, although relieved to see me change my behavior, continued to believe that the real key to heaven was good works. One day I was in the kitchen at my parents’ home, reading John 6:28-29, and I came across these words, “Then they asked him, ‘What must we do to do the works God requires?’ Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.'” I ran into the living room shouting, “Ma, Ma, look at this!” She read it, reread it, and believed it. From that moment on, she placed her faith in Jesus Christ. The person depending on good works never knows where he or she stands with God. How many good works are necessary? People who do not understand the grace of God will go to great lengths to try to please God. I met a lady in an oriental temple who had burned off her index finger to show God she would do anything to gain His favor. Christian, what a message we have for people burdened by their efforts to please God! Prayer Lord, thank You for Your grace in which I stand. Amen. To Ponder “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9).