23rd May

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God. Ephesians 2, 8

Is it enough to help others?

An elderly lady who is known for her piety came to a meeting where I presented the Gospel. I explained Christ's last words on the cross: "It is fulfilled." After the meeting this lady stayed to speak with me. I noticed that she had a sensitive conscience and a tortured mind. She did not feel prepared for the next world even if she always had had a good moral behaviour. She told me that she goes to church, that she helps her neighbours, that she does not owe anybody anything, that she reads her Bible and says her prayers. However, she added: "God has shown me today that I have been on the wrong road. Instead of receiving Jesus as my Saviour, I made myself a saviour of my good deeds. Please pray for me!"

She did not rely on herself neither on her deeds anymore but on me and my prayers. This was not the solution yet, so I answered her: "Jesus said: It is fulfilled. His work on the cross is so perfect, that we neither need to add your nor my prayers. It is sufficient for you to put your full trust in what he has fulfilled for your salvation. This is the only way to be saved."

The Lord gave her the capacity to all of a sudden grasp the truth and to reject every wrong support. With the simpleness of a child she put her trust in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus. From now on she was prepared for heaven and saved by grace, through faith.