Rest in Grace - Saved and Sustained

"But you must continue to believe this truth and stand firmly in it. Don't drift away from the assurance you received when you heard the Good News. The Good News has been preached all over the world, and I, Paul, have been appointed as God's servant to proclaim it."Colossians 1:23 NLT We are saved and brought into the kingdom of God by grace alone.. this means that we cannot boast in our effort in anyway, as we played no part in this saving grace. Unfortunately, once saved, we have the tendency to 'work' to maintain our place in Gods kingdom. When we struggle with failure, we can be eaten up by guilt, shame and condemnation and begin to doubt where it is we are with God. And so we can 'do more', 'pray more' and be much more devoted in order to show that we are Christian and that we will have eternal life. The truth is when we believed in Christ and his finished work on the cross, he gave us an assurance of our place in The family. We never have to doubt whether we are 'in' the family any more. The same gospel that saved us, however long ago that was, is the same gospel that keeps us today. Yes, saved by grace through faith in Christ, but also kept by grace through Christ.