“For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”– Romans 10:10–13

Writing about man’s only hope of heaven Paul Chappell wrote: So many people today believe there are multiple ways to Heaven—that all faiths and beliefs lead to the same God in the end. Yet the Bible teaches that there is only one way to God, and that is through Jesus Christ. But it is not enough to simply believe that Jesus was real, or that He is God’s son, or even that He is the Saviour. We must go beyond belief in the mind to faith in the heart. Salvation only comes by accepting the free offer provided by the death of Jesus on the cross.

Dr. John Rice said, “No matter what you believe about a ferryboat, it will not take you across the river until you get on it. And no matter what you believe about Jesus Christ, He cannot be your Saviour until you trust Him. Saving faith means that you must depend upon Jesus personally; that you risk Him, rely upon Him, commit yourself to Him.”

There is no “Plan B” when it comes to salvation. God is the One who provides it, and we either come to Him on His terms or not at all. Our reception of salvation hinges on our belief in Jesus alone to provide it, just as God planned before the world was created. In his sermon on the Day of Pentecost Peter said of Jesus, “Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain” (Acts 2:23). Anything that we do or avoid doing in order to earn salvation means we are not trusting Jesus for it.

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” – Rom. 8:28

We are assured “that all things work together for good, to those who love God.” The afflictions of this life, are the faithful corrections of a kind and tender Father. “For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and He scourges every son whom He receives.” How consoling the reflection — that all our sufferings are designed to mortify and subdue our corruptions, to wean us from the world, and lead us to a more         humble and constant sense of dependence upon God! How ungrateful for a child     of God to repine at the dealings of such a tender and faithful Father!

               

God will give us all that He sees is best for us. And surely we ought to be satisfied with this; for He who sees the end from the beginning, must know much better than we — what is for our good. It is our duty to maintain a contented and cheerful spirit in every situation of life. 

               

If God directs all our ways, and has promised to give us just what He sees  we need, we surely ought to rest satisfied with what we have; for we know it is just what the Lord, in His infinite wisdom and unbounded goodness — sees fit to give us.– Harvey Newcomb, 1843)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346

“What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?  I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the LORD.  I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.”— Psalm 116: 12-14

   Many of us have struggled with the same question.  “What shall I render unto the LORD for all his benefits toward me?”  How are we to respond to God for the many blessings He has provided us?

   We know we could never repay Him for His graciousness in our lives, but God’s goodness calls for a response.  It is good for us to reflect on how wonderfully blessed we are.  The psalmist reminds us that God is the source of blessings.  So many in our world fail to recognize where our many benefits originate.  The Lord is the giver of every good gift.  The air that we breathe is a gift from God.  He gives us strength and health.  We owe our ability to work or earn a living to Him.  Our family and friends are the results of His goodness.  Above all, we owe our eternal salvation entirely to God.  It is only because of God’s grace that we know the meaning of salvation.  God paid the complete price for our redemption in the sacrifice of His Son.  Jesus went to the cross and suffered in our place because of His great love for us.  God recorded the truth about our hopeless condition and His sufficient supply in the Word of God, and then had some faithful servant deliver the message to us.  The Holy Spirit brought conviction to our hearts and drew us to God, then birthed us into God’s forever family.  We have an inheritance in Heaven waiting for us.

   We also have the promise that we will one day be able to see our Savior, as well as those who have gone before us.  How could we ever thank God enough for His benefits toward us?  What shall I render?

   The last verse of our text says, “I will pay my vows unto the LORD now in the presence of all his people.”  Though we could never repay God for His blessings, the psalmist offers a suggestion for a reasonable response to God’s goodness.  He said, “I will pay my vows.”  In other words, I will make good all the promises or commitments I have made to God in the past.  I will publicly testify to the goodness and grace of God in my life.  I will demonstrate my gratitude by honoring Christ with a life of thanksgiving and praise.  Our gratefulness can be seen in the way we live our lives.( copied)

David Stone
Lakeway Baptist Church
5801 FM 1960 E
Humble, TX. 77346