Under Grace--Romans 6:14

In the Old Testament, God gave the Israelites several laws to follow and rituals to perform in order to be forgiven of their sins.  These practices are the basis for the different rules and practices that modern day Jews practice, with the most important day of the year, Yom Kippur,  being a day of prayer and fasting in the hope that God forgives your sins and grants you salvation for the next year.

 In Islam, it is required that you practice the five pillars of Islam.  Not doing so if you are able to could result in being denied entrance into the afterlife.

 There are branches of Christianity that teach that, unless you perform certain actions, you will not go to Heaven.  These range from simply being baptized to going door to door witnessing to others.  Some are easy enough to do, such as being baptized as a baby, while others may take years to complete.

 All three of these are based on things found in the Old Testament and view salvation as something you have to earn, but it isn't!  The Bible says multiple times that there is nothing you can do to earn it!  The work has already been done!  Jesus' death on the cross cleared the path for us to enter into Heaven.  The only thing we have to do is ask God to forgive our sins and follow Jesus.

 There is nothing you can do to earn salvation.  Jesus already did all the work for you.  All you have to do is accept it. 

Compassion and Forgiveness--Ephesians 4:32

Every day we have opportunities to decide how we want to treat others.  We can choose to be compassionate or to be cruel.  We can choose kindness or indifference.  We can choose to forgive others or not to forgive them.

 What we choose in those situations depends on several things.  Upbringing, circumstance, and mood can all affect our choice, as can other factors.  But for followers of Christ, the Bible says how we should act.

 First, Ephesians 4:32 says we are to be kind and compassionate to others.  This can be tough sometimes but, if we ask, God can help us to do so.

 It also says that we are to forgive others.  Also something that can be easier said then done.  But it goes on to say that we are to forgive as Christ forgave us!  Jesus forgives no matter what we have done.  While we are unlikely to forgive everyone unconditionally,  we can at least try.

Seek God's Approval--Galatians 1:10

Most people tend to like it when others like them or the things they do.  Whether it is a spouse commenting on the good job you did cooking dinner, your boss mentioning the hard work you did at a board meeting, or a stranger walking by and commenting on how nice your garden looks, we usually hope others will like what we do and like us.

 But how often do we wonder about whether God approves of us and the things we do?  Sure there are some things that He clearly would approve.  Things such as loving others, helping people in need.  But what about things like how you interact with your friends?  What about the music or shows you watch? 

 This is especially true for pastors.  It can be tough to preach a sermon that may offend someone, but sometimes you have to.  Pastors especially need to remember Paul's words in Galatians 1:10 "Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God?"

 Seek God's approval first.  Please Him before worrying about pleasing others.    Make Him the focus of your life.  The approval of mortal man is temporary, but God's approval is forever.