Saving Private Ryan

The movie “Saving Private Ryan” ends with Captain Miller (Tom Hank’s character) sitting near a bridge after an attack by German forces. His life is ebbing away as he pulls Ryan (Matt Damon) down toward him. Struggling for breath, he whispers, “Earn this, earn this.” As Ryan stands, his face morphs back into the present as a senior adult searching for Miller’s cross in the cemetery. Crying, he turns to his wife and says, “Tell me I’m a good man.”

Many people may believe that Christ died for them, but they have an attitude that Christ told them, “Earn this!” They spend their lives through religion and good deeds trying to receive validation so that people will tell them, “You are a good man or a good woman.”

Grace is realizing that we can never earn Christ’s sacrifice for us on the cross. Our lives should reflect thanksgiving for what he has done instead of validation for being a good person. We can never earn salvation. We can only receive it!

Christ’s purpose was to die for everyone on the planet. He gave His life so we could have life eternal. There is nothing we can do to earn salvation, we can only receive salvation and then live our lives accordingly. Let’s agree to live our lives in light of what has been done for us. In so doing, our lives will honor God and bless others.

I’d love to hear from you about how God’s grace has impacted your life in positive ways.