SAVING

“Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ…He wanted us to enter into the celebration of his lavish gift-giving by the hands of his beloved Son…” Ephesians 1:5-6 MSG

God’s Gift of SAVING

Advent Sunday 1

save (verb): to free from the penalties or consequences of sin, deliver, redeem; to remove from danger or harm 

“Saving is all his idea and all his work. All we do is trust him enough to let him do it. It’s God’s gift from start to finish!” Ephesians 2:8 

I don’t think we even know how much we need it sometimes.  Saving, I mean.

What do we need to be saved from? What kind of danger are we in?

Of course, some of the penalties and consequences of sin are obvious. We experience pain, illness, regret, and shame as the result of our selfish choices; we miss out on moments of goodness and joy, and we feel terribly lonely–separated from Jesus. But in the spiritual realms, only our Creator knows. He sees what we can’t, and he is painfully aware of the dangers we face, the evil that threatens all around us, and the depths of the horror and loss that he is protecting us from.

He knows…our weak places, our temptations, our brokenness.

He knows…exactly how the enemy connives and lurks and hates us.

He knows…where every path we take will end up.

And he gives…helpless us his overcoming power.

And he gives…sinful us his forgiveness and redemption.

And he gives…desperate us the grace and hope of life with him.

Saving is all his work. We can’t do it for ourselves.

He starts it. He finishes it. We really can trust him to do it.

What an amazing gift!

Enter into the Celebration:

Thank you, Jesus, for coming to earth and bringing me your gift of salvation! Thank you for knowing exactly what I need and for doing all the work. From the start–choosing me, inspiring my good intentions, and helping me take steps of faith… to the finish–my redemption, my wholeness, and the beautiful reward of being in Heaven with You. Please show me more and more evidence of your power and grace in my life. I want to completely trust you to save me every moment of every day.  Amen.