Waterfalls are among my most favorite things of all of the amazingly beautiful things that God has created. My sweet sisters took me on a scenic adventure this spring by sharing their secret with me; they took me to a Forest Preserve near their homes in the suburbs of Chicago where not many people are aware of the fact that this beautiful waterfall is tucked away; hidden amongst the trees. This beautiful sight of the cascading streams of water continuously flowing down and the beautiful background that highlighted its beauty took my breath away! I stood in awe and gasped with delight and amazement as I beheld the captivating beauty of God’s creation –a waterfall! Many years ago I went to Niagara Falls, and saw the beauty and power in those waterfalls, but this waterfall was different; it was secluded, serene, and simply beautiful! I quickly set up my Sony A6000 with the 16-50mm lens on my MeFoto RoadTrip tripod and began taking pictures, one of them being the picture you see above.
According to God’s Word, the Bible, grace is God’s unmerited favor which He freely gives to those who do not try to earn their salvation by doing good works; His grace is given to those who only choose to accept His free gift of salvation that comes by placing one’s full and complete trust in Jesus Christ alone. Consider these Scriptures:
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” (John 6:28,29)
“I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness comes by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.”(Galatians 2:21)
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9)
“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost.” (Titus 3:5)
God’s forgiveness and grace cannot be earned by good works or religious practices, or lost by sinful behavior and earned back again. This only leads to a vicious cycle of frustration and complete hopelessness. Sadly though, Catholicism, among other religions, teaches this. These teachings never lead a person to ever grasp the truly wondrous love that God has for sinful man:
“But God demonstrates His love for us in this: while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.” (1 John 4:9,10)
As a former Catholic, I speak from experience. I discovered the free flowing, undeserved, unmerited favor of God when I believed the Biblical gospel and let go of the teachings of Catholicism that contradicted the truth of God’s Word and denied the sufficiency of Jesus Christ’s “once for all” sacrifice on the cross as being enough to pay the debt of all of our sins in full. I hope and pray that you will consider reading God’s Word — the Bible — for yourself. Begin reading the Gospel of John, Romans, and the little Epistles of 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John to start with, and ask God to reveal the truth to you. Truly your eternal destination is at stake by what you choose to believe about Jesus Christ:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16,17)
“But what about you?” he [Jesus] asked. “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15)
“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” (John 3:36)
Thank you very much for stopping by today.
God Bless You
MaryKDalke – Reflections Of His Glory Photography
Reflecting the beauty of God’s creation through natural and creative photography styles.
“And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
“…whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:41)