“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”
- Ephesians 2:8-9
“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.”
- Acts 16:31
My human thinks I’m a pretty smart dog.
I just know there are some things a dog better not forget.
Like where home is.
Who feeds him.
And whose voice he ought to come running to.
The other day I heard my human talking with somebody about baseball. They got to discussing all the fancy statistics and strategies, but finally one of them laughed and said, “You can know all the numbers you want, but if you can’t catch, throw, and hit, none of the rest matters.”
That got these old floppy ears to thinking.
Seems folks can do that with faith, too.
I’ve watched people argue over little things while forgetting the big things. They can tell you all sorts of opinions, but sometimes stumble over the beautiful basics.
From where I lie on the porch, those fundamentals seem pretty simple.
God loves us.
We’re sinners who can’t save ourselves.
Jesus is both the Son of God and the Son of Man, who came to seek and save the lost.
He died for our sins, rose again, and offers forgiveness to anyone who believes in Him.
Grace is God giving us what we could never earn.
Mercy is God not giving us what we do deserve.
Faith is trusting Jesus more than we trust ourselves.
“Buddy, if the foundation isn’t right, nothing built on it lasts.”
He wasn’t talking about baseball anymore.
I’ve heard him read enough Scripture to know that people can make faith a whole lot harder than Jesus ever did.
Every one of us has wandered farther than we should.
Every one of us needs forgiveness.
God, rich in mercy and full of grace, loved us enough to send His only Son.
Jesus Christ is both the Son of God and the Son of Man. He lived without sin, died on the cross for ours, rose from the grave, and offers eternal life to everyone who believes in Him.
That isn’t just another church lesson.
That’s the foundation.
Everything else we learn, every good work we do, every trial we face, every blessing we receive is built on that one unshakable truth.
Now, I don’t pretend to understand every deep mystery. I’m just an old dog who occasionally mistakes a mud puddle for a swimming hole.
But I know my human. When he calls, I come because I trust him.
That’s a little like faith.
Not knowing every answer…just knowing the One who does.
I’m sure the devil doesn’t mind folks getting distracted by all the extras if they forget the essentials.
But heaven rejoices every time someone simply believes that Jesus is exactly who He said He is—our Lord, our Savior, and our only hope.
That’s enough to make a black Lab wag his whole back end.
“The fundamentals matter, buddy.”
I’d wag and agree if I could talk.
Then again…maybe I just did.
Keep the Faith… Carpe Diem
