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He will cover you with his feathers.?
He will shelter you with his wings.?
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Psalm 91:4 (New Living Translation)

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Psalm 91:4 (New International Version)

His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you’re perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.

Psalm 91:4 (The Message)

Who would look at the cross of Christ and say, “Great work, Jesus. Sorry you couldn’t finish it, but I’ll take up the slack.”?

Dare we question the crowning work of God? Dare we think heaven needs our help in saving us? Legalism discounts God and in the process makes a mess out of us.

To anyone attempting to earn heaven, Paul asks, “How is it that you are turning back to those weak and miserable principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? ….What has happened to all your joy?” (Galatians 4:19, 15 NIV).

Legalism is joyless because legalism is endless. There is always another class to attend, person to teach, mouth to feed. Inmates incarcerated in self-salvation find work but never joy. How could they? They never know when they are finished. Legalism leaches joy.

Grace, however, dispenses peace. The Christian trusts a finished work.

Grace offers rest. Legalism never does. Then why do we embrace it? “Those who trust in themselves are foolish” (Proverbs 28:26 NCV). Why do we trust in ourselves? Why do we add to God’s finished work?

But the truth is, we don’t. If we think we do, we have missed the message. “What is left for us to brag about?” Paul wonders (Romans 3:27 CEV). What is there indeed? What have you contributed? Aside from your admission of utter decadence, I can’t think of a thing. “By his doing you are in Christ Jesus” (1 Corinthians 1:30). Salvation glorifies the Savior, not the saved.

Your salvation showcases God’s mercy. It makes nothing of your effort but everything of his. “I—yes, I alone—am the one who blots out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again” (Isaiah, 43:25, emphasis mine).

Can you add anything to this salvation? No. The work is finished.

Can you earn this salvation? No. Don’t dishonor God by trying.

Dare we boast about this salvation? By no means. The giver of bread, not the beggar, deserves praise. “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord” (1 Corinthians 1:31).

It’s not about what we do; it’s all about what he does.

by Max Lucado

Let the godly rejoice.
Let them be glad in God’s presence.
Let them be filled with joy.

Psalm 68:3 (New Living Translation)

But may the righteous be glad
and rejoice before God;
may they be happy and joyful.

Psalm 68:3 (New International Version)

Sing hymns to God;
all heaven, sing out;
clear the way for the coming of Cloud-Rider.

Psalm 68:3 (The Message)

For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.

Romans 10:10 (New Living Translation)

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

Romans 10:10 (New International Version)

That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

Romans 10:10 (The Message)

The diligent find freedom in their work;
the lazy are oppressed by work.

Proverbs 12:24 (The Message)

Diligent hands will rule,
but laziness ends in slave labor.

Proverbs 12:24 (New International Version)

Work hard and become a leader;
be lazy and become a slave.

Proverbs 12:24 (New Living Translation)

For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.

1 John 2:16 (New Living Translation)

For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world.

1 John 2:16 (New International Version)

Practically everything that goes on in the world—wanting your own way, wanting everything for yourself, wanting to appear important—has nothing to do with the Father. It just isolates you from him. The world and all its wanting, wanting, wanting is on the way out—but whoever does what God wants is set for eternity.

1 John 2:16 (The Message)

For that is what God is like.
He is our God forever and ever,
and he will guide us until we die.

Psalm 48:14 (New Living Translation)

For this God is our God for ever and ever;
he will be our guide even to the end.

Psalm 48:14 (New International Version)

Then you can tell the next generation
detail by detail the story of God,
Our God forever,
who guides us till the end of time.

Psalm 48:14 (The Message)