OUR DAILY BREAD             Sat., July 29, 1995   
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READ: Galatians 3:1-14   
 
                 
                   A COMMON MISTAKE 
 
      "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of 
        the law, having become a curse for us." 
 
                        -- Galatians 3:13 
 
An elderly woman told me that she loves Jesus, prays  
regularly, reads the Bible daily, and confesses her sins  
every evening.  But she's afraid to die.  She's not sure 
God will accept her.  She also said that she was so eager 
to earn God's favor that she gave a large sum of money 
to her church without her husband's knowledge.  She knew 
this was wrong, but she said, "I did it for my salvation." 
 
This woman failed to understand Paul's words, "For by 
grace you have been saved through faith, and that not 
of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest 
anyone should boast" (Eph. 2:8-9).  She still believes 
that she must gain God's approval by her good works. 
 
This is a common mistake among professing Christians. 
The apostle Paul had to correct some believers in Galatia 
who had the same idea.  They talked about the need to 
keep many of the regulations of the Old Testament law 
system.  Paul declared that Jesus Christ, by dying on 
the cross, redeemed us from the curse of the law  
(Gal. 3:13). 
 
Do you believe this?  Have you received Christ as your 
Savior?  If so, rest on His finished work on the cross 
for you, and rejoice and give thanks.  Don't make the 
common mistake of thinking that you can earn His favor. 
         
                                -- Herbert Vander Lugt 
 
         It's not works, it's not prayer, 
        It's not tears that save the soul; 
        God is now His grace displaying -- 
           Jesus died to make us whole. 
 
                                -- Anon. 
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           THOUGHT FOR THE DAY 
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     Salvation is an unearned blessing  
       given to an unworthy sinner.  
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THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:  Isaiah 7-9

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