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I can’t imagine why a man like me is blessed by God, in the many ways that I am, or why I was chosen to be cleansed of my sins, by the sacrifice of God’s only Lamb. I am surely not the cream of the crop, when compared to all of mankind, if God was looking for a more deserving man than I, he would not be hard to find. When likened to the vilest men in history, my past conduct stacks up pretty well, but compared to what the bible teaches, I should be going straight to hell. I’ve never accomplished any great good, deserving acclaim from one and all, never have I risen to great heights, nor have I had a newsworthy fall. Just an inconsequential man in the crowd, always feeling some- what out of place, and yet of all the people in the world, God chose me to receive His grace. I wish I could say that I had earned God’s love, because I am holy and unsoiled, or that I always resist temptation and that for the right I constantly toil. But I have a sinful nature within me, that frequently rears its ugly head, instead of doing the good that I wish, I wind up doing wrong or selfish acts instead. There is an internal battle, between my earthly desires and my immortal soul, my short term gratification often overcomes my long term spiritual goal. God’s spirit which resides within my soul guides me towards doing what is right, but the sin which dwells within my flesh won’t surrender without a fight. When on occasion my sinful nature is victorious, I am thor- oughly ashamed, it brings me to the point of tears, and causes me anxiety and pain. I feel so absolutely worthless, and know that as a Christian I did fail, I then resolve that in the next struggle, that God’s sprit will prevail. This constant struggle between good and evil is a Christian’s earthly plight, a temporary setback now and then doesn’t mean that you’ve lost the fight. Being sinless is not the answer, if your quest is your soul’s salva- tion, Jesus is the only one who has reached that goal, the only one in all of creation. You can’t earn your way into heaven, that’s just not the way it’s done, we are saved by the Grace of God the Father, and the sac- rifice of His Son. Jesus has already atoned for our sins, when He suffered and died upon the cross, if you’re trusting in your own good works for your salvation, then you will suffer quite a loss. So repent and confess your sins to Jesus, and accept Him as your savior, he will free you from the wages of sin and ease the guilt of your past behavior. Being at peace with God will bring the peace of God, into every aspect of your life, but of course you will still be at odds with your sinful nature, and still have daily strife. Accepting Jesus as your savior doesn’t end the temptation of committing sin, sometimes you will lose this struggle but most times you will win. Remember, it is by grace that you are saved, through faith, and not by your behavior, it is a gift from God, given freely, to all those who accept Jesus as their savior. Accept that you will not completely faultless, and trust in Jesus with all your might, and be assured that when you face the throne of judgement, you will be wearing His cloak of white. By Ronald Tessuor Author Undeserved Blessings A Resource Directory of needed information for Seniors , promoting self-sufficiency, quality of life, and dignity in aging. Serving 15 Counties in southeast Mississippi Look for the BlueBook at senior centers, libraries, hospitals, medical offices, home health agencies & visitors bureaus. www.southernsenior.info 17 S