(God)…who has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace.

– 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)

Truths:
1. God has saved us.
2. God has called us to a holy life.
3. This saving and calling cannot be credited to us. We didn’t even help. We stood there like mannequins being saved from a fire, destined to melt unless someone carries us out of the burning department store.
4. Therefore, I cannot take credit for what God has done. It’s by his grace, through Jesus Christ. And it’s for his own purpose.
5. By answering the call and by being saved, I have abandoned my own autonomy.
6. This means that I am no longer my own person; it also means that I give up striving for my own purposes.
7. Anything that goes against these truths must be dismissed as blatant selfishness that dishonors the gospel.
8. We must stay in hot pursuit of God so that we don’t miss out on His purpose and grace for our lives. Anything else is idolatry.

And that’s the truth.