....heard

 "What We Have Seen and Heard" encourages us to press closely into the presence of God and share how His truths have been made real in our life. As we continue to walk with our Heavenly Father and better understand His love, we learn to experience a sense of awe which we can't help but share with others.

The complete story of Jesus Christ, which began before the creation of the world and continues for all eternity, is a love story whose central theme is grace; "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God" Ephesians 2:8. The moment we believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin, God lovingly welcomes us into His Family; this is His gift of Salvation! We are adopted into His Family before doing anything deserving of being called His child, meaning our Salvation is never something we earn - it is a gift of grace.

And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace. Romans 11:6

If we come before our Heavenly Father thinking we can do ANYTHING which makes us deserving of Salvation, then we do not yet understand His gift of forgiving grace. God's grace is extended to all who believe, but we are called to believe His grace is both absolutely necessary AND completely sufficient.

If we truly believe, our life will produce fruit/good works; "Faith, if not accompanied by action, is dead" James 2:17. But our good works will never save us - Salvation is a gift. If we truly believe, we will desire to obediently follow; "We know that we have come to know Him if we obey His commands" 1 John 2:3. But our obedience will never save us - Salvation is a gift.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding" Proverbs 3:5. We must come before God with empty hands, acknowledge our sin and need for a Savior, and receive the gift of grace offered through Jesus Christ.

As we then continue our walk with Jesus Christ, we learn to love Him with all our heart and strive to present our very best as we obediently follow and produce good works, bringing Him glory and honor in ALL we do. But while we walk, love, and strive, we must remember that our "best" is not what earns His favor. 

Our "successes" will not make us more worthy, and our "failures" will not cause us to lose His love. 

His gift is everything! 

Let's give Him everything in return as we continue to live each moment of this wondrous journey by trusting in His grace.

-steve troxel