Ephesians 2:8-9 (NKJV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God<\/p>\n
The salvation of our eternal souls is free… a gift from God.<\/p>\n
He gives salvation freely, without prejudice based on our race, our ethnicity, our financial status or any other factor.<\/p>\n
God loves us freely and offers us His plan of salvation freely.<\/p>\n
On the other hand, our relationship<\/i>\u00a0with God is something that doesn’t<\/i> just happen freely.<\/p>\n
It takes effort. It takes work.\u00a0We get out what we put in.<\/p>\n
James 4:8 (NKJV) 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.<\/p>\n
As followers of Christ, we need to take the necessary steps to strengthen our walk with God and build that relationship into one that stands the test of time and lasts through tough situations and fiery trials.<\/p>\n
In fact, as our relationship with God grows, the fiery trials that do<\/i>\u00a0come our way will show us where we’re at with Him and help us to see where we are weak and where we are strong.<\/p>\n
And we also need to understand that growing our relationship with God won’t stop tough times from occurring in our lives, but it will equip<\/i>\u00a0us to handle them better and come through them without being mortally wounded spiritually.<\/p>\n
So we need to accept God’s gift of salvation and then put forth the effort required to take those next steps and grow our relationship with Him. Amen.<\/p>\n
Pastor Curt & Pastor Ellie<\/p>\n
Seven Seas Ministries
\nP.O. Box 272
\nBradford, RI 02808<\/p>\n
401-315-0902<\/p>\n
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