Emphasis Preaching Journal

Paul vividly reminds us in these passages that we cannot earn our own salvation. If we have to depend on our own ability to obey the law, then we are all doomed, because no one is perfect. This sort of religion leads to nothing but hopelessness and despair. But what hope and joy and power come into our lives when we discover that we are the inheritors of grace through Christ! Without hope for the future, there is no power in the present. I remember when the huge Southwest Freeway was being built through Houston. The city came in and condemned a path of homes three blocks wide and over ten miles long, right through the heart of Houston. An amazing change came over those homes almost overnight. Where once there had been neatly mowed lawns, beautiful shrubs, and blooming gardens, now there were weeds, trash heaped in piles, litter and junk everywhere. Almost overnight, a beautiful ten-mile strip of lovely, two-story, tree-
shaded homes looked like a disaster area. When there is no hope for tomorrow, indeed, there is no power for today.
-- Owen-Gemoets