—Psalm 40:11
God's mercy and sovereign grace are one, and cannot be overcome, but will keep me safe forever. Brought up as a Methodist, I used to believe that there was no such
thing as "once saved, always saved," and that backsliding was a constant
danger. I've since come to believe that God is stronger than I am. When
left to my own devices, I could never persevere to the end. But what I
cannot do, God can. I may get it wrong, but God doesn't withdraw divine love because of my mistakes:
They, whom God hath accepted in his Beloved, effectually called, and sanctified by his Spirit, can neither totally nor finally fall away from the state of grace, but shall certainly persevere therein to the end, and be eternally saved. —Westminster Confession 18.1
Today I'm praying as I did yesterday...
Imprint upon my heart, O God, that because I belong to you no one can pluck me from your hand, and because I fear you I need fear no other; through Jesus Christ, who taught me to pray: Our Father...
Imprint upon my heart, O God, that because I belong to you no one can pluck me from your hand, and because I fear you I need fear no other; through Jesus Christ, who taught me to pray: Our Father...
—A New Zealand Prayer Book (alt.)
