Wednesday, March 4, 2026

Bible in a Year: Psalms 72-74 | Acts 27

Recently, I did a Bible study that challenged me. It seemed like the author was saying salvation was earned. He quoted many Scripture references from Jesus and the apostle Paul that said submit and obey. (Words none of us like to hear.) The verses seemed to imply that if you didn’t follow a certain set of rules, you wouldn’t inherit the Kingdom of God. 

I set out on a journey to find answers. I talked to my pastor and trusted Christian friends. I studied the Word and prayed. I asked for the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth to me.

My heart is filled with joy because I found the answer: grace.

It’s not about what we can do; it's all about … Jesus. God knew we couldn’t be saved by following the law. He loved us so much he devised a plan to save us from the sin that separates us from him. 

Jesus’ grace changed everything. 

He is the sinless Son who died as a sacrifice for our sins and was resurrected from the dead. When we accept Jesus as our Savior, we are instantly changed. 

Colossians 3:10 
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. 

I misinterpreted the scriptures that challenged me. They weren’t about earning salvation, they were reminders that we become new creations when we are saved. We are no longer slaves to our sinful nature. God gives us new identities. He wants us to focus on him, not ourselves. 

God loves us so much he longs to have a deep relationship with us. As we spend time with him in prayer and Bible study, our relationship with him grows. He starts to change us from the inside out. We don’t have to change ourselves - we just have to trust him. 

As our trust grows, our faith in him grows, too. We are so grateful for what he has done for us that it’s our deepest desire to let him guide us. We know he wants what is best for us, so we want to obey and surrender ourselves to him. As we slowly start to surrender everything to him, we are filled with his peace, love, joy, and hope. We no longer desire to live the old way.  

If we choose to follow him, God will lead us on a grand adventure.

Questions: 
Why does Jesus long for a relationship with you?

How can you grow in your relationship with Jesus?

How are you letting Jesus change you?

Next Steps: 
If you haven’t accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, do it now.

Read the Bible and pray. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and change you.

Join a Group.

Attend GrowthTrack, and join the DreamTeam.

Prayer: 
God, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all you did for me, do for me, and will do for me. I praise and thank you. You are such an awesome and amazing God. I long to know you better. Help me grow closer and closer to you every day of my life. Change me, and make me more and more like Jesus. Make the greatest desire of my heart be to glorify you. Amen.

Series Theme Verse:
Colossians 3:10
Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.

This post was written by Marsha Raymond, an Oregon attendee, and a regular contributor to the Daily LivingItOut.