Archive for the ‘Salvation’ Category

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SALVATION AND MORE

Tuesday, August 31st, 2010

Day 181

“I have given you an example to follow.
Do as I have done to you”
John 13:15

There is no question that God’s salvation is the greatest gift anyone could receive. It has set us free from sin and death, made us new, partakers of His nature, His children, personal friends of our Lord and Savior and residents of a greater kingdom than any other on earth or in the heavens. What we’ve gained is endless. The height and depth of it is not measurable. His love is the foundation and basis for this great salvation.

Christ’s love that brought us salvation is not a one time act. The power of His love equips us to not only live, but grow every day in Him. He has given us the means to make our salvation rich and full. How? “Do as I have done to you,” He said. And He showed us how by example. It could not be seen more powerfully then at the last supper when He girded Himself and became a humble servant washing the feet of the very people He created!

How is God glorified; by walking in His love with humility. “We should please others” [Romans 15:2]; “Live a life filled with love for others” [Ephesians 5:2], “You must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy … You must make allowances for each other’s faults … the most important piece of clothing you must wear is love. Love is what binds us all together in perfect harmony” [Colossians 3:12-14]. Oh, how rich and full our salvation is by loving Him and our brethren!

“Hereby perceive we the love of God, because
He laid down His life for us, we ought to
lay down our lives for the brethren”
1 John 3:16

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MERCY IN EXCESS

Friday, August 20th, 2010

Day 170

“For as the heaven is high above the earth,
so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him”
Psalm 103:11

How high is the heaven above the earth? How far is the east from the west? This is God’s mercy for us. There is no limit and no boundaries. It is difficult for our minds to grasp this mercy – a mercy in excess. Unfortunately, our nature believes the opposite. We think anything we receive is based on behavior. If we are good, we receive good things. If we are bad, we will receive bad things. Sin, failure, and faults in our life mean rejection. Not so – these are false beliefs

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?” [Romans 8:35]. You belong to our God – you are His child, born of Him – chosen, called and destined to be His glory. But, you say, what about my sins, failures, faults? And to that, the word declares, “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities” [Psalm 103:10]. Yes, who shall separate us from Him? He has made a provision in the blood of Jesus Christ to cover our sins. What greater evidence of His love and mercy is there than that sacrifice on the cross?

And your sins? “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us” [Psalm 103:12]. True to His nature, He forgives and removes our sins. He heals the wounds and fills us with His Holy Spirit – a seal – yes, a seal of our inheritance. He has sealed us for all eternity as His! Mercy in excess.

“Bless the Lord, O my soul, O Lord my God,
Thou art very great; thou art clothed with honor and majesty”
Psalm 104:1

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RESTRAINING GRACE

Wednesday, August 18th, 2010

Day 168

“He sent His word, and healed them,
and delivered them from their destructions”
Psalm 107:20

Jesus has told us that “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” [Matthew 15:16]. Christians sin. Some continue to sin. Some backslide. Anyone who has read the Bible can easily see that God’s people struggle with sin. Some of the stories expose all of it, such as David’s lust leading to adultery and then murder. Yet, he was God’s man.

Does God love you less because you sin? Does He abandon you? Condemn you? Far from it for His love is unconditional. And love covers a multitude of sins. He Himself said we are to forgive seventy times seven. He is a jealous God and He will not permit His children to be lost. We may go the course when we sin, but God will bring us to an end. Hosea clearly outlines this.

His love causes Him to put a restraining grace on us where we can go only so far. He said to Job, “Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further” – He has set boundaries that we cannot cross. And His love compels Him to pursue us. In His time He will send His word and heal us and deliver us from our own self-destruction. It’s called grace (help) and mercy (covering). In the end we will glorify Him for His goodness.

“O Give thanks unto the Lord,
for He is good: for His mercy
endureth for ever”
Psalm 107:1

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SHARING IN THE WORK

Tuesday, August 10th, 2010

Day 160

“You can be sure that the one who brings
that person back will save that
sinner from death”
James 5:19-20

Did you know you could save a sinner from eternal death? Yes, as a child of God you have the tremendous privilege of sharing in the work of the kingdom of God. Can there be any greater privilege than to save people from eternal death? Can there be any greater joy than bringing someone to Christ? All of heaven rejoices at the birth of each new kingdom child.

Paul said, “We are all Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making His appeal through us” [2 Corinthians 5:20]. Just as we were saved and have received His life, we now can be ministers of reconciliation. Your age, education or status doesn’t matter. God’s love has been shed abroad in your heart. The Holy Spirit dwells in us. That love, through the power of the Holy Spirit is not just for ourselves, but to be brought to others that they may see His light in us.

Think about this; we have been trusted with a great eternal treasure. God has made us partners in His kingdom so we can share in the work and rewards. We can extend the kingdom. More importantly, we can save those that are lost by introducing them to our Friend. What better work is there?

“For Christ’s love compels us”
2 Corinthians 5:14

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WE ARE SAVED AND MORE

Saturday, August 7th, 2010

Day 157

“That we should be holy and without blame”
Ephesians 1:4

Are you holy? Without blame? Many would no, but the Scriptures say otherwise: “…because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth … for the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ [2 Thessalonians 2:13-14]. Salvation is often treated by many as a one time event involving believing on Jesus and that’s it. It isn’t. You are saved ‘from’ something and ‘to’ something and it is an ongoing process.

Our Father doesn’t just save you. When He chose us to obtain salvation in eternity, His purpose was to bring you to glorification – “…and whom He justified, then He also glorified” [Romans 8:30]. His divine plan is one that deeply affects every part of your life. He is a God of glory and your salvation is a glory to His grace for being made accepted in the Beloved. You are to be a praise of His glory. The great glory of His salvation is the working of His grace that continually brings change in your nature.

Salvation not only delivered us from the penalty of sin, but it delivers us from the power and presence of sin. He has given the Holy Spirit to sanctify you. It is the Holy Spirit’s purpose to fully accomplish God’s work in you, qualifying you for His glory. That’s why you are to rest in Him and not lean on your own understanding or strength. This is your confidence; God’s eternal plan is to save you today and tomorrow and He is at work in you right now to that end.

“Christ Jesus came in the world to save sinners”
1 Timothy 1:15

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THE FATHERLESS CHILDREN

Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010

Day 153

“For in You the fatherless find compassion”
Hosea 14:3

The book of Hosea is about the apostate nation Israel – the nation God raised up for His people. Mother Israel abandoned her husband God the Father and embraced a new lover, Baal. She became a nation of shrines, sacrifices, royal symbols, trappings, priests, kings and a ruling class that shaped, directed and exploited the people. She gave the people her identity and formed each generation to rely on Baal, find her strength in the armies, and look for enrichment from trade.

To demonstrate this apostasy, Hosea suffered with an unfaithful wife and three children through whom he experienced what God experienced – unfaithful love. She was Israel, the leadership and culture, and the children were the ordinary men and women who are trained and nurtured in that culture. With the children being raised to follow in this unfaithful love they know nothing of their true Father God. They become a lost generation, the children of Baal – not possessing the integrity, compassion, and the knowledge of God as His chosen people. Some three millennia later there is little that has changed.

To these people who knew not their true Father, Hosea gave them the words to pray with [verses 2-3] ending by saying, “for in You the fatherless find compassion.” These who knew not their Father were orphans, fatherless children. Yet, God the Father’s promise to them was, “I WILL HEAL . . . I WILL LOVE . . . I WILL BE LIKE DEW” to them. It is a cry of the Father’s heart for His true children to come back home.

“Men will dwell again in his shade”
Verse 7

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HIS NAME

Monday, August 2nd, 2010

Day 151

“You are to name Him Jesus,
for He will save His people from their sins”
Matthew 1:21

In Jesus’ time names were very important and had meaning. It is true that many may not have thought much about Jesus’ name then and even this day many do not attribute any significance to His name. Even worse, among those who know Jesus and profess faith in Him, there is a lack of knowing the depth of who Jesus is. Do we understand that He offers salvation and that salvation is complete – to the uttermost, completely and thoroughly?

His salvation is to His people, those He said He has chosen [John 15:16]. He brought us emancipation, a release from oppression, delivering us from our chief enemy that had us in death. He emancipated us from the power, guilt, and punishment of sin. He brought us true liberty and freedom. His name represents that very salvation that set us free and all who are set free by Him bear His name as His saved people.

His salvation has saved us from sin and brought us into the kingdom of God where we are now His children and partakers of His nature. The act of salvation has long lasting effects on our lives and the forgiveness of sins not only erases the past, but keeps us in the present and is there for the future. It sets us free to live this day for the Lord.

It is the name of Jesus and all of who He is that saves us.

“He will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father,
Prince of Peace”
Isaiah 9:6

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GOD’S WAY

Monday, July 19th, 2010

Day 137

“And you shall remember all the way which the Lord
your God has led you in the wilderness these
forty years, that He might humble you”
Deuteronomy 8:2-3

God led His people through a wilderness. Needless to say, the wilderness was a very dry place and not pleasing for comfort. After freeing them of 400 years bondage, you think He would directly take them to their new land. but, He didn’t. And for good reasons, as this scripture further enlightens us. He was testing them to know what was in their hearts.

Wait a minute! God didn’t know what was in their hearts? Far from it. In fact, He not only knew, He wanted them to know. They needed to see themselves and know how corrupt their natures were. And thousands of years later, it’s the same today. God sets us free with His salvation. He takes us out of Egypt, the world. But, there is still the need for Egypt, the world, to be taken out of our hearts. And until we see ourselves for who we really are, we cannot be humble.

This is God’s love for us. Christ said, “Without Me, you can do nothing” [John 15:5b]. He loves us so deeply that He must take us through the wilderness for us to see what is in our hearts. When we come to that place where we can cry out with Isaiah, “Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips” [Isaiah 6:5], then, and only then, can we lean wholly on Him for our sufficiency.

“Man does not live by bread alone, but man lives
by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord”
Deuteronomy 8:3b

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GOD’S INVITATION

Saturday, July 3rd, 2010

Day 121

“He sent his servants to those who had been
invited to the banquet to tell them to
come, but they refused to come.”
Matthew 22:3

Our response to God’s call is often thought of as an independent act on our own. God’s plan tells otherwise. In Romans 8:29-30, it says, “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” First, God foreknew (chose) us in eternity before time. He then predestined and called us and then justified and glorified us. Foreknew, predestined, called, justified, and glorified.

Because all off us are born in sin and separated from God, we must be ‘called’ during our earthly life. That calling is the call of salvation and it is very much like the wedding invitation. Yet, many refuse the call. In spite of man’s reluctance, God exhibits incredible patience. How many times has God tried to get our attention prior to the day of our acceptance?

Because God is so patient and delights in giving salvation to us, He persists in calling, regardless of indifference and even out right rejection. The parable is expanded in Luke 14:23 – “Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full.” That ‘make them come in’ is based on His foreknowledge of us and His predestination. God is able to enlighten the understanding and cause the heart of man to turn to Him. His love causes even the hardest hearts to turn. That is why His call to us is an effectual call. He will not lose one.

“Whoever is thirsty, let him come;
and whoever wishes, let him take
the free gift of the water of life.”
Revelation 22:17

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RESURRECTION LIFE

Sunday, June 27th, 2010

Day 116

“We shall be saved by His life”
Romans 5:10b

The ultimate victory in our lives is to learn to live our life by Another. Paul stated this clearly when he said, “I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” [Galatians 2:20]. We will walk in complete victory if we live in total dependency upon Him.

We are saved from sin daily by adherence to and reliance on the Son of God. If we have complete trust in Him, we walk in freedom. The sad news, though, is many remain infants, never maturing into the fullness of Christ. We love our lives too much. We become entangled in the fabric of our society. Yet, Christ is ever abiding in us. He has given us the Holy Spirit to guide and direct us. We have been given everything to know and rely upon Him. He wants us to rely on Him, as John says, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us” [1 John 4:16].

It is the Father’s intention for you to live your life fully unto Him. Christ’s incredible resurrection power raised us from the dead and made us alive. That resurrection power is working in us now so we may walk in a continuous union with the living Christ. Knowing God’s sovereignty, His complete control over every facet of our life, sets us free to do His will and have a constant joy and peace.

“Much more they which receive abundance of
grace and of the gift of righteousness
shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ”
Romans 5:17

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