All in Salvation
Do we thirst after the water of the world that satisfies our body alone, and that must be replenished each day, or do we long for the living water that is Jesus Christ, and wells up in us for eternity? Which do we cater to, and place most value in, our earthly body that begins a journey towards death from the moment it is conceived, or our soul that will live on in either salvation or damnation forever?
As men and women of faith we have hope bubbling up in us, and it is recognized as true by those around us, even if they don’t yet believe, or understand it. Are you asked why you act joyfully the way you do, or why there is a peace in you that defies understanding, and a sense of humility even though you are strong? When asked such questions do you shrug your shoulders or do you tell them about Jesus, and His gospel? Do you listen to their questioning and then hoe the weeds from around the tiny seedling that God planted there as a grain of faith, or are you afraid of failure, so you ignore them?
A man is watching as Christians sing and worship Jesus, then he listens as the pastor speaks of life that awaits us in Christ. All of this stirs something in his heart, and he feels an urge to come forward and be saved, but he doesn’t. It is the age old struggle between good and evil that is raging within him. He hears the good news of Jesus, but Satan continues telling him he is lost, and in that lie, salvation seem beyond his reach. Salvation isn’t complicated, and the call to the altar requires only one price... for us to believe.
Are you just beginning your search for God? Maybe you are already somewhere along the way? Well, whether you are just beginning, or in the midst of your pilgrimage, there will be dark nights of the soul. These are times when You will collapse in the silence of God, and ask in loud voice “why have you forsaken me?” but rest assured that you are not alone, and He will never abandon you.
When God called you to Himself, and introduced you to His Son Jesus Christ, and His Holy Spirit, did you feel inclined to consult with those around you regarding your acceptance of His invitation? Did you place your salvation, and future in the hands of those who hadn’t heard His call as you had, or did your spirit cry out “Here am I Lord!”, as you fell humbly before Him?
Are we able to earn our own salvation by conforming perfectly to God’s law, living an entirely sin-free life, and doing good works? Well, these are noble pursuits, and doing these things would make us a lot like Jesus was, but unfortunately, even this is beyond our ability.
Have you ever been so put upon, so set upon, or felt so downtrodden in life that you feared God Himself had abandoned you? What did you do in that time of great fear, sorrow, or suffering? What was the state of your faith at that moment? Were you on the verge of turning away from the Lord, or did you seek Him more fervently? Was your faith waining, or was it surging as you leaned upon it?
Salvation, it is so simple that we just can’t believe eternity is given to us in such a way. Believing in the gospel, and being baptized... how could this be the entire price of our salvation, and of eternity in Heaven? We think this way because we undervalue two things... God’s love for us, and the power of His grace. Are you busy trying to raise the price of your salvation so that you can feel as if you have worked for it; earned it? Well you can’t... it is a gift.
What is it that keeps most people from knowing Christ, or from sitting at God’s Table? It is the lack of having experienced the amazing grace that abounds there. In knowing only this world the unbeliever is reluctant to step across the threshold of faith into a place previously unknown... even if it might promise untold wealth, happiness, and experiencing the delights at God’s feast. Yet with one real taste of the love, mercy, and grace, of God through Jesus we are changed forever.
Have you ever wandered from God? Have you strayed and no longer heard the voice of Jesus, or felt the pull of the Holy Spirit as it drew you back? Are you in this distant place now, or is someone you know there? Well you might feel as though you can’t return, and that your life is too far gone, but that isn’t true. The Lord sends you this message... “return to me, and I will return to you.”
We talk a great deal about being like Jesus, but we rarely speak of those instances when He was most like us; those moments when His humanity was most evident. Perhaps we are afraid that by doing so we might denigrate Him, but nothing could be further from the truth. The Man called Jesus was just as important to our redemption as the divinity of Christ. Crucifying either one alone would not have been sufficient.
The painful feeling of hunger insures that we will not neglect the nutritional needs of our body. The desire for intimacy with our spouse is a yearning that insures our love for one another will deepen, and that the species will be perpetuated, and just as certainly, the sweet taste of God’s love draws us to an abiding relationship... and our salvation. Have you tasted the sweetness of God’s love, felt the yearning for a deeper relationship with Jesus, and hungered for His Word? Day by day our spirit should long for that familiar longing... for an increase of faith.
As Christians we talk a great deal about our sanctification, holiness, works, and other spiritual endeavors; all of these are good subjects to discuss, but never lose sight of the fact that you were redeemed, justified, and made pure and acceptable to God by the grace which flows through His Son Jesus Christ. That grace is the forgiveness of our sins, and we have it’s full measure the instant we believed.
Discussing false god’s and graven images in church is a favorite topic because it is a natural tendency of man to place various things above God as we move through our lives. One of the favorite topics of every preacher is money, or gold, but there are so many others. One of them is a nearly sacred topic, and we are often remiss in discussing it... family. We love our spouses, children, and families dearly, but do we allow them to encourage our faith in God, or to discourage it? Does our love of family become a god to us?
Are you filled with sadness and depression today? In particular, is there a void within you because of a feeling of separation from God? There is no loneliness greater than to be in a place without God’s presence, but if that is your feeling today then take heart, and call on the name of Jesus because He too walked through the valley of the shadow of death... just as you are now doing.