Assurance of Salvation

Not being sure about something makes us feel uneasy. Trivial stuff really doesn't matter, but when it comes to serious matters we need to make sure.

Our soul is the most valuable part of our being. Jesus pointed that out when He said, “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?”(a) Our soul is eternal and if there is anything we need to be sure about, it is the destiny of our soul.

It seems odd, but many people give little or no attention to the security of this priceless possession. When we die it’s not all over, our soul continues to exist forever. Scripture clearly teaches about heaven (b) and hell (c) as real places, and our soul will spend eternity in one place or the other. There is no in between.

Everyone in his right mind wants to go to heaven. However, people have different ideas how to get there. The most common is if we do more good than bad we hopefully will make it. The problem with this approach is we can never be sure that we have done enough good, so there is always a doubt whether we’ll make it. And rightly so, because scripture says, salvation is not a reward for our good deeds.(d) Good works can never bring assurance of salvation!

Salvation is the free gift of God’s grace, which can only be received by faith. “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.”(e) On the basis of God’s grace we can know without a doubt that we will go to heaven when we die. We can be sure of our salvation! “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.”(f)

As clear as that is, there still are people in church every Sunday who don’t have the assurance of salvation, simply because they go by the assumption that somehow they have to be good enough to go to heaven.

Dear friend, it is not faith and works that brings us assurance of salvation. It is confessing by faith what the Lord has done for us! We can’t add anything to the finished work of Christ. We must simply trust what God says in His word to have assurance of salvation. Good works are the by-product of salvation – it’s what we do because we are saved. As the Word says, “Work hard to show the results of your salvation, obeying God with deep reverence and fear.”(g) “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”(h)



Let’s Pray-
Thank you Jesus, for dying in our place and paying for all our sin.
And thank you Lord, that even the faith to believe that, is a free gift from you!!
Forgive our pride in thinking we could help you with it.
You are so gracious!!! We love you Lord.
Help us to serve you with all our heart because we are saved.
Amen


Footnotes:
(a) Mark 8:36, (b) Matthew 18:10, 28:18, Mark 16:19,
(c) Matthew 7:13, Luke 2:15, 2 Peter 2:4, (d) Ephesians 2:9,
(e) Ephesians 2:8, (f) Romans 10:9-10, (g) Philippians 2:12,
(h) Ephesians 2:8-9


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PRAYER - Brings The Peace of God

Peace of heart and mind is a rare commodity in this troubled world we live in. The PROMISE for this week is preceded by requirements, which must be met before we can “experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.”
The first requirement is something most of us have a problem with, namely, Don’t worry about anything. If our scripture passage stopped here we would be in trouble, but it goes on to tell us how not worrying is possible.

Prayer is the answer! Instead of worrying, we need to pray about everything. That is something all of us are able to do. It’s just a matter of taking the time to do it. So often we try to fix things ourselves – we try this and we try that without success, and our worry grows. The answer is to pray about everything. We need to be talking to God about everything that goes on in our lives, not only the big and weighty things, but also the simple and seemingly insignificant.

Our scripture instructs us to Tell God what you need. Our prayers need to be more precise than just “Lord bless this and Lord bless that.” We honor God when we clearly name what we feel our needs are, and it also helps us to know when our prayer is answered.
Our worry usually stems from an unmet need. God knows what we need before we ask, we are not telling Him something new. But it’s for our own spiritual benefit that He requires us to tell Him what we need. It helps us be reminded on whom we are truly dependent, and He is the one who supplies all our needs in Christ Jesus.

Not only do we need to tell God everything we need but we also must thank him for all he has done. God has done so much that we are aware of and infinitely more we know nothing about, and everything He does is good! We need to thank Him for it all. Like the old hymn says “Count your many blessings, see what God has done.” We must not take any of God’s gifts for granted. An ungrateful heart will not be a heart at peace.

As we pray about everything, clearly telling God what we need, thanking Him for all He has already done, we will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. A peace so deep and profound we can’t begin to comprehend it. While we are not able to get our human minds around it - we not only can experience God’s peace, we will experience it!! We can’t understand it, but we are able to sense the calm quiet rest with which it fills our entire being.

Furthermore, God’s peace will guard our hearts and minds as we live in Christ Jesus. The word “guard” literally is “garrison” a military metaphor. God’s peace - like garrisons of divine soldiers will surround our hearts and minds and keeps worry and fear out as we live in Christ Jesus! How blessed we are!!






Let’s Pray:
Thank you Father, for having made every provision for our lives to be filled with your peace.
Please forgive us for not always praying about everything and instead end up worrying.
“O what peace we often forfeit,
O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry
Everything to God in prayer!"(a)
Help us Lord to pray without ceasing. Post your guards around our hearts and minds so we will always experience your peace!
Amen






Footnote: (a) Joseph Scriven,



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The Lord is close to all who call on Him

How are you doing today? Having a great day with a sense of the Lord’s nearness? Or have you had better days and today isn’t one of them?

Life can be a battle, because we have an enemy who works overtime to make God seem far away. He works on our minds, especially when we are tired and discouraged. He feeds us a string of lies – “it will never get better - you won’t get out of this - there’s no hope - God doesn’t care for you - He has forsaken you.”

But just the opposite is true! Like today’s promise assures us - our Lord is filled with kindness and is close to praying people. Numerous Scriptures show us that He is near to us no matter how we may feel or what we are going through. His Word says, “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”(a) “Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close.”(b) “The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed.”(c) “For God has said I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”(d)

The truth is our Lord is always close to us. It’s only when we pay attention to Satan’s whispered lies that doubts begin to fill our minds and God seems far away. We need to deliberately choose to trust God's promises without any reservations and believe that He is the only one who can help us as we “call on him in truth.” Praying “in truth” is praying in faith and not giving up until the load is lifted – until the prayer is answered. The answer may come surprisingly soon or it may take a long time coming. The important point is that we keep on praying until the answer is realized. Jesus said, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” The context of that passage deals with persistence in prayer until the answer comes.(e)

So if today finds you feeling sorry for yourself – downhearted and God seems a million miles away – cry out to Him for help to focus on His promises rather than the negative stuff the enemy tells you. Start praising the Lord for His promises and claim them for your very own – and keep on doing it! Remember – “The Lord is close to all who call on him, yes, to all who call on him in truth.”




Let’s Pray-
Father, if someone reading these comments today has fallen for the lies of the enemy – please grant them faith to claim your promises. Thank you that a sense of your presence is on the way as they call on you in truth. And Father, thank you also that “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!”(f)
Amen




Footnotes:
(a) Psalm 23:9, (b) Psalm 27:10, Psalm 34:18, (d) Hebrews 13:5b, (e) Luke 11:5-10, (f) Isaiah 26:3

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The Best Is Yet To Come

John begins his gospel by saying that God created everything through Jesus, and nothing was created except through him.(a) In today’s promise Jesus tells believers that He is going to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house.(b) Have you ever tried to imagine what that is going to be like?

This visible world, which Jesus created, is awesome! The great natural wonders like Mount Everest, The Grand Canyon, the Northern Lights, to mention a few. Then there is the beauty we can see by telescope of countless stars and galaxies in space - the minute things that become visible through the microscope – plus the everyday world all around us of flowers and trees, lovely fragrances, singing birds, changing seasons, sunsets, rainbows, etc. etc.

While this natural creation is so wonderful, it is only a veiled hint of the grandeur and beauty of a spiritual reality that is invisible to natural eyes. Somewhere in that indescribably beautiful spiritual reality is the Father’s house with its many mansions, and where Jesus is preparing a place for us. In our wildest imaginations we will never, in this life, even get close to envisioning how gloriously fabulous that place is going to be! It will be infinitely beyond the natural creation.

But what makes that place even more wonderful is that Jesus will be there! And furthermore he is coming back to get us so we can be with him!! We will be with Jesus forever!!!

As lovely, and enjoyable as this natural world is, it along with all the material things we have built and accumulated are all going to burn up.(c) Our primary focus needs to be on the spiritual creation and our eternal relationship with Jesus. Paul says, “Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God’s right hand. Think about the things of heaven, not the things of earth. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.”(d)

When we come upon hard times – the death of a loved one, or when we ourselves are diagnosed with a life threatening illness, our thoughts quite naturally shift to spiritual things and the Father’s house where we will be with Jesus. But even the healthy, joyful times of this life can become even richer if we think more about the things of heaven than the things of this world. It’s going to be far better than the best we will ever have on this earth. Indeed, the best is yet to come!






Let’s Pray –
Father, thank you for this lovely world and the material things you have blessed us with. But Father, what we are most thankful for, is the wonderful hope of spending eternity with Jesus. Help us to keep our minds fixed on that priceless privilege. Amen



Foot Notes:
(a) John 1:3, (b) John 14:1-3, (c) 2 Peter 3:12 (d) Colossians 3:1-2,

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Getting A New Heart

Thursday was Valentine’s Day. Fifty- eight years ago Valentine’s Day changed my life. In January I had just enrolled at a college in South Dakota, which had the tradition of “Reverse Dating” for the Annual Valentine’s Party. Donna, a sweet gal with a big heart, felt sorry for the newcomer, so she asked him to be her date for the Party. The rest is history! About a year later we were married. The Lord has blessed us with three great children and eight wonderful grandchildren who all love Him.

What does Valentine’s Day have to do with today’s PROMISE FROM GOD? Really nothing - other than that they both deal with hearts. One is a heart with an arrow through it, symbolizing sentimental feelings for a person who is special to us. The other is more crucial to our life than the physical heart which pumps blood through our veins. If our physical heart begins to fail - the problem can possibly be solved, with a heart transplant – a heart from a donor who just died. However, the heart which today’s PROMISE makes reference to, is our spiritual heart. Only God can do spiritual heart transplants. He can do them because His sinless Son Jesus died for our sin and rose again.

Before we were born again our spiritual heart was dead - hard and unresponsive to God. The Scripture refers to it as being “stony and stubborn.” We ignored God and lived as we pleased. We were set in our ways and as far as we were concerned even God wasn’t going to change us.

But then God in His sovereign and gracious way arranged circumstances in our lives, which woke us up to the fact that we needed help. As we began to realize that truth and called out to Him for help and forgiveness, it began to happen! Our cold heart began to warm up and become tender and pliable. God was doing a spiritual heart transplant!! We had received a New Heart and a New Spirit – His Holy Spirit!

Remember what an exciting time that was? We couldn’t get enough of His Word – we talked about Jesus with everyone we met – we wanted to please God with everything we did. Spiritual energy and the joy of the Lord filled our lives!

But if we are honest, we have to admit, we haven’t always lived the way we did when we first got our New Heart and a New Spirit. We have had seasons when our heart became calloused and unresponsive to God. We have had times when in stubbornness we went our own way. Serving the Lord became a chore and the Joy of the Lord had all but dried up. In fact that may be the place where we find ourselves today. If that is the case, we need to repent and give ourselves afresh to the Lord. He promises "I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart."


Lets Pray –
Father, “Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.

Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me.” (a)

"Change my heart oh God Make it ever true

Change my heart oh God May I be like You

You are the potter I am the clay

Mold me and make me this is what I pray

Change my heart oh God Make it ever true

Change my heart oh God May I be like You."(b)
Amen

Footnotes:

(a)Psalm 51:9-11 NLT, (b)Arul John

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His Yoke Is Lighter

At times the load of life can become overwhelming. We are weighed down with all sorts of burdens. We worry over job security and possible loss of health insurance - worries over house payments that just went up - and then there are car payments – bills, bills, and more bills! We are haunted with the thought - what would we do if we got the pink slip? The worry load gets really heavy! Jesus sees our predicament and gently invites us. “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”

Worry is a burden we don’t need to bear, in fact the Lord doesn’t want us to worry. Jesus says: “You cannot serve both God and money. That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life —whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear… don’t worry about these things… These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.”(a)

In this week’s PROMISE, Jesus tells us how we can get rid of the burden of worry. By God’s grace we can get out from under that heavy yoke. We begin by changing our focus, from our problem (worry) to Jesus, and His invitation to help us. The help we need can’t be found anywhere else, only in Him. Jesus lovingly calls, “Come to me and let me teach you how to lay down the heavy load and how you can get under the soft and light load that I give and you will find rest for your soul.” Jesus says, “Take my yoke upon you – for my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” It isn’t hard to figure out which is the better choice.





Let’s pray –
Jesus, we are so grateful for your love for us, even when we are struggling with heavy burdens we really don’t need to bear. Thank you for offering us the choice of your lighter load and even helping us pull it. We are so blessed! But Lord, some times we make the wrong choice. Please forgive us for worrying when we should be trusting you.
Amen


Footnote:
(a) Matthew 6:24-34 NLT

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Our God Keeps His Word

Have you ever said to someone, “But you promised”? Maybe it was years ago when you were just a child, but you still remember the deep disappointment. Or maybe as a parent, you said it to one of your teenagers. Their broken life and wasted opportunities still cause you to weep. Or then again you may have said it to your spouse when you found out what had been going on behind your back. People break promises! Some broken promises aren’t that serious, but some can tear our hearts out!

Our PROMISE FROM GOD today assures us that our God who “is indeed God” will always keeps His word. He is faithful. We can count on Him to follow through on every promise He makes. “He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations.” The Hebrew word translated “faithful” has the idea here of something you can lean on – that you can build on. In other words it can be trusted to be solid. It will not give way or fail, even in “a thousand generations.”

I read the other day that several years ago a famous coffee shop chain gave some of their employees a special email coupon for a free iced coffee, good from August 23rd through September 30th. They instructed their employees to share the email coupon with friends and family. The email coupon quickly spread so far and wide that the company decided to stop the promotion – it just cost them too much.

No matter how much it may cost God to keep His promise, He will never go back on His word – we can lean on it and build on it! We will never be disappointed in Him and have to say to Him, “But you promised.”

One more thought – could it be possible that our God needs to say to us at times, “But you promised”? Are we keeping the promises we have made to Him? Or does “But you promised” echo in an uneasy conscience? If that’s what’s happening, we need to acknowledge it to Him and ask His forgiveness. Another promise He makes is in 1 John 1:9 NLT “If we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”




Let’s pray –
Father, please forgive us for not always keeping our word, to you or to people around us. Even though people have failed us, you never have, and by faith we know you never will! We take comfort in your faithfulness. Your “unfailing love” is such an indescribable blessing. Help us as your children to be more like you.
Amen

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