Tag:

Salvation

The Saving, Singing, Shouting God!

by TerryLema

I love the various descriptions of our God in the Scriptures. In a chapter which begins with “Woe to Oppressive Jerusalem” and ends with “Promised Final Restoration,” there is a portrait of our Wonderful God.

Zephaniah 3:17: “Yahweh your God is among you, a warrior who saves. He will rejoice over you with gladness. He will bring you quietness with His love. He will delight in you with shouts of joy.” [HCSB]

The NKJV renders it this way: “The Lord your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”

Do you see the beautiful depiction in this verse?  Our God is among us, right in our midst. Jesus said, “remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” [Matthew 28:20 HCSB]

Our God has the power to save us. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but it is God’s power to us who are being saved.” [I Corinthians 1:18 HCSB]

I think of those two things as the background of this picture of our LORD and Savior. He is with us, and He saves us. But then look at the detail the author paints. Our God rejoices over us with gladness, He delights in us with shouts of joy (singing!)

In that beautiful chapter of the lost, Luke 15, Jesus tells his listeners that “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents ….” [vs 7 HCSB]

We always think of the angels and saints rejoicing over the lost being saved, but Zephaniah reminds us that God Himself, Our Wonderful, Awesome Father delights in each salvation with shouting and singing.

And still our LORD God is not done. He quiets us with His love. He grants us peace. “And the peace of God, which surpasses every thought, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.” [Philippians 4:7 HCSB]

Our Wonderful Saving, Singing, Shouting GOD!

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Free Men Slaves

by TerryLema

I love the irony found in 1 Peter 2:16: “Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.”

The word Peter chose to use for “servants” in this passage is doulos in the Greek. It means “slave.”  What Peter wrote is, “Live as free men…live as slaves of God.”

We have been set free. But set free for what? To use our freedom as a cover-up for evil? “Heaven forbid!” as Paul might say.  No, we have been set free so that we can willingly and enthusiastically take this free life and place it under the authority and LORD-ship of Christ Jesus.

Our salvation is more than mere words spoken one day at an altar.

Our salvation is more than simply repeating “The Sinner’s Prayer.”

Our salvation decision is merely that, a decision. (and I’ve made a lot of decisions that I never carried through on when I found the path was too difficult or the cost too great.)

While our salvation words, prayer, and decision are necessary and good first steps, they must be followed by a true conversion. That conversion encompasses producing fruit from our repentance and a willing and complete surrender of our will, our life, to the LORD-ship of our Savior. To stop short of that is to live in an extremely dangerous place. We may think it is enough to just get by, but when it comes to being saved, I sure do not want to “just get by.”

I want to freely give all to the One who loved me and died for me. I want the world to know I love Christ Jesus and am willing to lay it all down for Him.

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Give Me Children

by TerryLema

I am tired this morning. Physically and emotionally tired certainly, any auto-immune disease will do that. I think that I am also a little tired spiritually.

My spiritual tiredness is not from any problems in my relationship with my LORD and Savior. He and I are on good terms. I love Him with all my heart. I try to worship and praise Him with abandon every opportunity presented. I sense His presence with me and His love for me. They flood my soul often.

I’ve tried to find the source of my spiritual “tiredness” by both praying about it and thinking a great deal about it. (Faith and prayer do not eliminate critical thought; they encompass it and conform it to God’s Word.)

I think I am feeling a bit like Rachel. Rachel was the love of Jacob’s life. He worked seven years for her hand in marriage, only to be deceived by her father, Laban, who gave Rachel’s older sister Leah to Jacob instead. Agreeing to another seven years with Laban, Jacob and Rachel were finally wed. The only problem, Leah was the one bearing children and Rachel was barren. Lamenting her barrenness, Rachel cried out, “Give me children, or I’ll die!” [Gen 30:1 NIV]

I love The Way Church and the people there are like family…closer than family. I love serving them. They are growing and seem to love being there. But … but … I wonder where the “children” are. Most of my church family have been Christians for years, they are well-grounded in Christ.

I keep asking God to open the floodgates and bring the unsaved. I keep asking for more “children” and I keep praying for salvations. And I seem to be growing a bit spiritually tired in what is proving to be a long wait.

Oh Father, “Give me children!” Amen.

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