Saturday, December 6, 2014

The Joy of God’s Salvation



                One of Satan’s potent weapons that he uses against us is distraction.  And he uses it very effectively.  He knows that all he has to do is get me to look around at the things of this world and off of my goal and I become easy prey for discouragement or pride or apostasy.  Therefore, every so often I find it necessary to stop what I’m doing and take an inventory of my life.  Similar to the words of a popular hymn: “Count Your Blessings.”

            In Psalm 51:12, David makes a special request of God.  This is after he was confronted with his sin with Bathsheba.  David asks God to restore to him the joy of God’s salvation.  And I began to wonder how encouraging it would be to write down all I can think of that encompasses the joy of God’s salvation.

Since space here is limited I’ve listed my favorites:
   Our sins are forgiven.
   We are adopted as children of God.
   We are co-heirs with Christ.
            God’s Spirit is our counselor, guide, companion, etc.
            We have the hope of eternal life.
            We no longer have to fear death or what lies beyond.
   We are gaining a better understanding of God’s Word.
   We are in a growing relationship with God.
   We have help when facing trials and temptations.
   We have peace of mind in a confused world.
            We are loved and can now show others true love.
   We have been reconciled to God through Christ.
   We have the privilege of helping God save souls.

            Wow, I could go on but I hope you can see that there is much more to be joyful about in our salvation than just forgiveness of sin.  God has done so much to help us improve our lives here and now as well as for later on in heaven.  So, in order to combat Satan’s weapon of distraction, take a time out and list the joys of His salvation.

            Doing so helps to regain our focus.  Listing the blessings makes the problems of life seem very small indeed.  This is exactly what Satan is hoping we will avoid doing.  And it’s what God continually encourages us to do (Hebrews 12:2).
Doug

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