Trouble

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.
- Ephesians 2: 8-9 NIV

Trouble is a game of race-ahead and bump-back. The object is to race your pieces around the board and into home base but there is always the threat that another player will land on you, sending your player back to the start. I think this is similar in many respects to how some of us view getting into heaven. We imagine there is a line to get in and our place in line is determined by how “good” a person we are, and the good deeds we do. What happens, however, when there are other individuals as “good” or better than ourselves? Do we really get bumped to the back of the line?
As an individual who is far from perfect, I am thankful that the reality is quite different. Although the way in which we live our lives is of utmost importance in the Christian walk, it is a response of worship to who God is and all that He has done. It is the response and not the means to our salvation. John 3:16 reminds us that “…God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (NIV) It is through faith in Jesus that we are saved. The apostle Paul sums it up this way, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2: 8-9 NIV).