Why We Need Jesus

For it is by grace you have been saved through faith

-and this is not from yourselves,

it is the gift of God-not by works,

so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

God shows the reality of our need for a Savior when he honestly shows us the weaknesses and moral failures of people in the Bible.

Moses killed someone and got angry at the Israelites in the place of God…not the compassion of God.

David committed adultery with Bathsheba and had her husband killed to cover his sin.

Peter denied his Savior three times after Jesus was arrested by the religious and political forces.

Samson was a train wreck, caving in to Delilah instead of God.

The list goes on….

God intentionally shows that it is his undeserved love, not the moral uprightness of humans, that brings salvation.

A woman told me recently she stopped going to church because it didn’t have compassion and grace for families like hers that suffered addiction. She knew her Bible and she knew God’s grace, but she didn’t see it in the church she went to.

A story like that confronts my own need to try to show the world that I am this put-together, perfect Christian rather than loving others enough to share my own struggles and need for my Savior’s forgiveness. When we are honest about our own sins and the peace we have in the undeserved grace of Jesus, we help others around us to be honest about their need for Jesus also.

O Jesus, thank you for freeing me from the punishment of my selfishness. Fill me with your love for the people in my life so I am more concerned about what they think about you than myself. Give the relief of your salvation to those who do not know you yet. Amen.

Conversation starters about freedom for families

How do the lives of leaders like King David show the amazing love of God for us?

How does knowing we are forgiven and loved by Jesus help us to be honest about our own sin?

Tell God what his love means to you.