Verse of the week

'I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no-one can snatch them out of my hand' John 10:28

I always find this one of the most encouraging verses in the whole of God's Word.
It is a wonderful reminder that from first to last it is Jesus who saves a Christian, Jesus who sustains a Christian, Jesus who brings a Christian through their earthly life into their eternal home.
Life can be confusing sometimes, and there are many times when we cannot understand why certain things happen to us if Jesus really is in control. When loved ones are ill or die; when we're really struggling to pray; when friends turn away from Christ; when a church stops preaching the gospel; our natural reaction is to wonder if we can make it through, whether perhaps it'll all go wrong and we'll will stop being a Christian. So you start to look at yourself and ask yourself if you'll fall away.
But don't worry - you're looking at the wrong person! Look to Christ, because it's him and not you who won your eternal life. Look to Christ, because it's him and not you who saved you from perishing. Look to Christ, because it's him and not you who sustains the faith of those who truly trust in him. Look to Christ, because no-one; not the world, nor sinful despair, nor the devil, can take his people away from him.
If you love Christ, however hard it may be for you to follow him, however great the pressure to turn away from him, if you love Christ and look to him and cry out to him, you can be sure that he will never let you go. How wonderful it is when times are hard to know that we don't need to rely on ourselves and our efforts; for in Christ we find everything we need; salvation, security and sustenance for this life and the next.
Why not thank Christ now for what he's given you, and thank him that those who are in his hand can never be snatched away. What a friend we have in Jesus!