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It Starts with Believing - It Doesn't End There

In Acts 16, when Paul and Silas were wrongfully imprisoned they began praying and singing hymns while in prison.  Then an earthquake shook the prison so that all the doors came open and the shackles came off the prisoners.  This was the perfect opportunity for them to escape.  But they remained along with all the other prisoners.  This had such an impact on the prison guard that he asked the men, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"  Their answer is the simplest, yet most important foundation to coming to salvation.  They told the guard, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."  That was it.  There was no understanding of creation, comprehension of the Trinity, divinity training, or theology required for salvation.  The ONLY requirement was and is to place your faith and hope in Jesus Christ.

If you are saved, you likely remember the feeling of peace in your life that came in those moments.  And you understand the grace that God has shown you in forgiving you of your sins.  That moment and those feelings are amazing.  But can it get better?

2 Peter 1:2 reads, "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."  I believe that answers the question.  Getting to know God is a lifelong pursuit.  The relationship starts at the moment of salvation and grows from there.  It's sort of like when Britt and I started dating how she thought I was cute, drove a nice car, etc. etc., she could go on and on LOL.  And even once we got engaged and then married our life and love just got better and stronger.  And then over the last 3+ years it has literally multiplied.  Well, maybe not the peace part with two kids but you get the point.  There is more grace and love in this house than there has ever been

As we gain more knowledge of God and Jesus through reading the Bible, listening to preachers, Sunday school, and other methods, the grace and peace in our lives are multiplied.  How does that work?  Since Mom was a math teacher, let's show that I still have some skills:
2 + 2 + 2 + 2 + 2 = 10
2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 32
Yes, the moment you place your faith and trust in Jesus Christ you are saved.  But He yearns to continue to bless you more and more and the way to do that is by gaining knowledge about Him and the Father.

In this new year, I hope that you find salvation if you haven't already.  And if you have, or when you do, I hope that you continue to learn more and more about God through His word for our lives to fully unleash the potential that He has in store for you.
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