It is not how good we are, But God's goodness within us

-->

This is a good news for those who accept God’s truth. Paul asks the question of the bad news… Romans 3, verse 3, “Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness?” God will be faithful regardless of how much we rebel. That is not to say there are not consequences to our sin, God’s faithfulness and I believe the good news is that with God’s faithfulness …you and I have hope.

The hope found in God’s faithfulness grants the believer the power, the will, and the strength to go on. The good news is shadowed in our doubt and inability to save ourselves. The problem is our society and with many religions is that they maintain you get nothing without doing something, which is a matter of law. People just cannot get it in their heads that we can be justified by faith in Christ and that our good deeds have nothing to do with it. It is our recognition that God is faithful, that we can confess our sins, and then join with Christ as we bury our old self in baptism and come out of that water a new creation through the power of Jesus Christ … And that gives us HOPE! Hope never disappoints us.

From Parade magazine comes the story of self-made millionaire Eugene Land, who greatly changed the lives of a sixth-grade class in East Harlem. Mr. Lang had been asked to speak to a class of 59 sixth-graders. What could he say to inspire these students, most of whom would drop out of school? He wondered how he could get these predominantly black and Puerto Rican children even to look at him.

Scrapping his notes, he decided to speak to them from his heart. "Stay in school," he admonished, "and I'll help pay the college tuition for every one of you." At that moment the lives of these students changed. For the first time they had hope. Said one student, "I had something to look forward to, something waiting for me. It was a golden feeling." Nearly 90 percent of that class went on to graduate from high school.

While it is true that should live a life of doing good things, these things do not save us. We do them because we are saved by His grace. We are motivated by His gracious salvation. It is God that is faithful and just … it is God that loves beyond words … it is God that has granted us good news … it is God’s gracious grace that motivates us to love on people and move to new levels of service and sacrifice.  It is not how good we are, but God’s goodness within us.

You know I love ya, Don