Germany, 1517 A.D.
Unbiblical practices had corrupted the church. Indulgences were offered as a way to buy God’s forgiveness. Many church leaders lived ungodly lives. And many people were deceived into believing they could buy their way into Heaven, could earn God’s forgiveness. But one young monk named Martin Luther, as he studied the Bible, began to realize that salvation is a free gift of God, given by the blood of Jesus Christ shed on the cross. “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). On October 31, 1517, he took ninety-five theses he had written, explaining why indulgences were not biblical, and nailed it to the door of a church in Wittenberg, Germany. That marked the beginning of a Reformation, a beginning of the church going to the Word of God, realizing that salvation is a free gift, the common people reading the Bible in their own language… It was a Reformation that affected the whole world. Today, October 31, 2017, marks five hundred years since Martin Luther nailed up his ninety-five theses. Five hundred years ago today, the Reformation began. That’s something worth celebrating. Always remember, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” (1 Th. 5:24). All for Him, Savannah
0 Comments
In the Bible, God’s people are compared to trees. Psalm 1:1-3 says, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither and whatever he does shall prosper.” And Jeremiah 17:7-8 says, “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but its leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.” I’ve been thinking about what it means to be a tree. It means many things, but one thing that really struck me is that trees never stop growing. So it must be with us. How easy it is to fall into the trap of thinking that since we are more spiritually mature than most other people our age, we do not need to keep growing. But this is not true. All of us, always, have areas of our lives where we need to grow. And how do we grow? Trees cannot grow unless their roots are drinking in water. And as they grow, their roots will go deeper. Christ is our living water. We must plant our roots deep in His Word. Psalm 1 talks about turning away from sin and delighting in God’s Word. Jeremiah 17 talks about trusting in the Lord and placing our hope in Him. That’s how we’ll grow. Not by occasionally picking up our Bibles but by making it our lifeline, constantly turning to it, “meditating on it day and night”. And as we do that, we’ll trust Him more and more, and grow more like Him.
So, let us seek Him and keep growing, always growing, in our walk with Him. And remember, “He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.” 1 Th. 5:24 All for Him, Savannah |
Hi! I'm Savannah Jane...I'm the author of several books for children and young adults with a passion to encourage young people to live for Jesus. The third born in an amazing family of seven children, I was homeschooled all the way through. This is where I share encouragement for Christian girls, updates about my books, writing tips, book and movie reviews, and assorted other tidbits. Archives
April 2020
Categories
All
Quote"When I try, I fail. When I trust, He succeeds."
-Corrie ten Boom I'm on GoodReadsFollow my family's writing, illustrating, and publishing business/ministry.Follow my blog on Bloglovin' |