"Because He Loves Me"

"When I cry out unto Thee, then shall my enemies turn back: this I know; for God is for me." (Psalms 56:9) So you might think security and safety are the same thing, but they are not; security is secure and cannot be tampered with; while safety, well let's just say works do matter when it comes to knowing what you believe. As many of you may know, if you have been following me long enough, I do not believe that works do anything towards or for our salvation; we cannot add one fraction of a percent to the saving grace that has bought and paid for our sins, not even the smallest little piece, because our salvation is in Christ alone. What we believe, especially when it comes to the security that we have in Christ, is where our works come into play and they matter; not that they will change anything about our being saved, but they prove that we are by the faith that is behind them. Another way that we could look at this 'challenge', if you will, is those three words, "this I know"; in other words, Do you know that Jesus loves you? or, if you want to make it more specific, Do you know that God loves you? I think the example of Daniel 3:16-18 gives the clearest picture of what it is that I am trying to say. It is the fact that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were secure in God's hands, and they truly believed that they were, and that nothing the king could do to them could take away that security; therefore, they were safe to declare what they declared, saying, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us out of thine hand, O king. But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up." The works were displayed in the actions of their words and in their faith that they were secure in God, no matter what; had they not believed that, then they could not have been able to state so with such certainty and conviction. Those are the kind of works that matter the most; not that we could even come close to being thrown into a fiery furnace, or getting that kind of chance to take a stand like they did; but we are faced with situations all the time that require us to take a stand for what we believe, or require us to make proven that we are loved by God... "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us." (Romans 8:31-34)