DAY 61: 2 PETER

“the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials” (2 Peter 2:9)

Dear Christian,

The Lord rescues and saves.

Christianity is not about living moral and good lives and getting saved. It is not about “getting your act together” or behavior modification. Scripture tells a story of a good and gracious God who comes and saves a people who cannot save themselves, and God does this out of love and grace.

And I am so glad that salvation does not rest on me. In the book The Reason for God, Tim Keller writes, “It is not the strength of your faith but the object of your faith that actually saves you. Strong faith in a weak branch is fatally inferior to weak faith in a strong branch.” This quote stuck with me. It is God who saves. Not the newest technique, not the latest diet, not the greatest life coach. God can save even those with the weakest of faith.

And this is GOOD NEWS. Because knowing that salvation rests on the finished work of Christ, means I can live in true freedom. I have nothing to prove and have nothing but joy to share. At the same time, there is no room for me to boast — knowing that salvation was not something I earned (I actually only contributed sin), but something that was given to me because of God’s grace and love. 

Praise the Lord!

Love,
Patsy

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Created as part of the Books of the Bible Collection where I meditate on God’s beauty and faithfulness from beginning to end for 66 days from Genesis to Revelation. Each painting will be accompanied by an envelope containing a personal reflection based on the text the painting is based on.

An 8x10 inch original watercolor painting on 100% cold pressed cotton paper, 2023.