All in Salvation
This past winter, I enjoyed watching the Olympics. Each Olympian had one
aspiration—to be the best athlete in his or her field. They trained, practiced, and cared
for their bodies to attain the gold medal.
How would you answer the question, “What is your key aspiration?”
Spiritually speaking, the match has been struck. God’s Light has come! Isaiah
prophesied that a great Light was coming into the world. More than 700 years later,
Jesus declared, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in
darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
For over ten years, I have been telling my grandchildren bedtime stories. The stories
revolve around an adventurous boy who enters a world of magic, dragons, and
dinosaurs. Each night, one grandchild suggests the basic plot, while the others
contribute character names or special details. My job is to turn their ideas into an
exciting story. Creating these stories together has become a treasured family tradition
and one of my greatest joys.
The Lord is merciful and gives me my basic needs when I ask.
But how often do I ask for the salvation for another or the gift of the Holy Spirit?
I don’t ask enough.
I found that convicting.
Flood water at the recreational complex as well as the Old Testament story of crossing the Jordan River at flood stage provide useful images of how sin creates a barrier between us and God. Only a holy, sinless, and perfectly righteous person has the authority to make a way for me to receive God’s precious promises of forgiveness of sin, salvation, and eternal life with Him.
Recently, I had a dream that Jesus was returning soon! It was a surprisingly happy and positive dream! It was similar to the feel of a wedding reception celebration filled with festive foods, confetti in the air, flowers and cheerful music. There were lots of happy faces, people hugging and greeting each other!
The big questions become: Do we each live a life that brings glory to God? Is fear transposed to joy and gladness and celebration in our churches today? Is it evident that God is in our midst? “The More the Merrier” at the throne and in front of the Lamb!
Our four-year-old grandson started a story with, “the people were naughty.” Of course, that piqued my curiosity. He continued to tell me about a wall and how Jesus had to knock it down, it had to break, and the naughty people got hurt. He used parts of our marble track to act it out and really enjoyed the knocking it down part.
Christmas is about... So many words could complete that sentence, but only one word completes it best—Jesus. Christmas is about Jesus! Let us fix our eyes upon our Savior, Jesus, the author of our faith.
God interrupted the commonplace. The glory of God shattered darkness. A message from an angel broke the silence. The Savior, Christ the Lord, had been born! As shepherds in the field beheld the angel, their initial response was fear. But with the announcement of the birth of the awaited One, fear turned to determination. The shepherds said, Let’s go…and see... (Luke 2:15). They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the heralded baby lying in a manger.
The blind man tells the story of Christmas. He was born in darkness and remained in darkness… until Jesus came to him. In his hopeless state, the blind man couldn’t come to Jesus, so Jesus came to him.
In a world constantly shifting beneath our feet, where even the most steadfast people, institutions, and laws can prove fallible, what can we truly depend on? While few things are 100% reliable, the Word of God offers an unwavering anchor.
My best friend betrayed me and later apologized, but I could not forget what she did. Even though it’s been years, I still remember the hurt of that betrayal. It threatened to destroy our relaitonship.
Have you tried to take a toy from a toddler, and she doesn’t want to give it up? It may be naptime or perhaps you need to leave from playing with a friend, but no matter what you try, you cannot pry those little fingers off of that toy without many tears and protests.
Nestled in the middle of the Psalms are three verses that describe the blessed life of a believer. The psalmist begins by describing a believer’s heart. Blessed are those….who have set their hearts on pilgrimage (Psalm 84:5). In other words, blessed are those who have a longing in their souls and a determination in their minds to journey through life with Jesus.
Jesus told a short story to a group of grumbling religious leaders to illustrate a poignant point—God will intensely search for those who need His love and salvation. He used a desperate woman, of all things, for his story. She’d lost a coin worth a day’s wage. She had only ten and one was lost. She lit a small oil lamp, the only source of light in her small windowless home, and searched carefully until she found it. She then invited her women friends and neighbors to rejoice with her. Jesus adds in verse 10, “I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God over one sinner who repents.”
Jesus’ focus from the beginning of His ministry was that direct. The people were loving the healing miracles; whereas, telling as many as He could the good news of the kingdom was why He was sent.
Remember our definition of a parable: “an illustrative story that compares or contrasts an earthly reality with a spiritual truth.”* I am intrigued as Jennifer Kennedy Dean** describes the Incarnation as the “lived-out parable” of the love of God. After all, Jesus was not only with God in the beginning; He was God. And with His birth, life, and death among us He would illustrate the spiritual truth of God’s love. A parable “puts flesh on the eternal truth so we can see it.”**
