Mark Twain said, “Everyone is a moon. It has a dark side which he never shows anybody.” The dark side of the moon is an expression basically to describe something mysterious and unknown. No one knows better how dark our hearts are than we do, except for God Himself.
Practical Principles
- Reading and knowing God’s Word does not save you. As important and vital as the Bible is, you must do more than simply read it. It’s not enough to go through the Word of God; the Word of God needs to go through you. It’s not how you mark your Bible; it’s how your Bible marks you.
- Doing other outward things do not save you. We might say, “Well I was baptized,” or “I was raised in the church,” or “My parents were Christians,” or “My father is a preacher.” Those things do not save you, and neither does legalism.
- Being raised in a Christian home doesn’t necessarily mean you are saved. Everyone must make a personal decision to follow after Christ. It is not something your parents can do for you.
- You have to see you’re lost in order to be found. Everyone is sinful. We have to see and admit our sin before we can be forgiven.
- What you say reveals a lot about who you are. Are your words truthful, kind, and helpful? How about on social media?
- There’s no hope apart from Jesus. The law, the commandments, condemn us but they don’t convert us.
- God has shown us the way to know him through Jesus. We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who they are
Relevant Reminders
There are three ways you can look at the Bible. The third way is the correct way:
- You may see that it’s a book filled with good ideas and moral lessons—just a general guide to life.
- You might acknowledge the Bible is a book from God, but it was written by man. It may have contradictions, but it has a lot of good things to say.
- You believe the Bible is the very Word of God, which is inspired by God and is indeed given to us by God, and it is total truth.
Applicable Actions
The word “grace” means God’s unmerited favor. There’s nothing you will ever do, or nothing you have ever done to merit the grace of God. God has extended His grace towards us. Will you reach out and take it?
