Salvation

When I saw Robin, she said, “Last night at Bible class, John asked the questions ‘What is Salvation’ and ‘what are we saved from?’”  My immediate thought was, “That’s easy.  I am saved from God—His wrath and His judgment.”  But the more I think about it, the more I’m realizing that it’s not true.  I am really being saved from godlessness—or, life without God.

If God were not in my life, I would not have meaning and purpose.  I would have no future and no hope.  Bleakness, misery, anguish, despair, devastation are words that would not even begin to describe the desolation I’d feel in my soul.  I know because I’ve been there.

So when Paul calls to remembrance the “…time you were separate from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world,” (Ephesians 2:12) it resonates with me.

The Good News according to Paul was Jesus, “came and preached peace to you who were far away” (Ephesians 2:17).  But that’s not good news to me.  That’s the best news ever to me.  Jesus is not a crutch to me, as some would allege.  No, Jesus is my life support—because without Him, I’d be dead.

One Step Forward

I’m not sure if the idiom says, “Two steps forward and one step back” or “One step forward and two steps back,” but either way, I’ve experienced it.  These experiences have brought me feelings of frustration, anger, and despair.  If I don’t realign myself, I could get depressed—very depressed.  This is how I encourage myself:

1. God’s more interested in who I’m becoming rather than what I accomplish.  Before the beginning of time, God predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son (Romans 8:29).  It’s not about my accomplishments, but about the purpose of God. 

2. God is faithful.  Paul says, “Being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).  I hear Paul telling me, “It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed.  God will not abandon or desert His project.”

3. God wants me to trust Him.  Over and over, Scripture reminds us that the righteous shall live by faith.  After the Apostle Paul confessed, “We despaired even of life.  Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death” he quickly reoriented himself by saying, “but this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead…on Him we have set our hope…” (II Corinthians 1:8-10).  I will be disappointed, discouraged, and disillusioned if my hopes, dreams, and expectations are in the wrong place. 

There is a saying: “Work like everything depends on you and pray like everything depends on God.”  I know that I need realignment when I work like everything depends on God and pray like everything depends on me.

Peace of God

Having the peace of God is very important to me and to some it might seem that’s all I’m concerned about.   This might be true, but it involves more than seeking my personal comfort.  I’ve learned that in order to receive the peace of God, I have to identify who or what’s giving me the anxiety, tension, or struggle.

As I’ve reflected on my state of mind in the past, I’ve discovered that the greatest source of my stress were conflicts with God.  Yup, my unrest was because I was at war with God and I have found that in order to have the peace of God, I have to be at peace with God.

I am sure that when most people think of stress and anxiety in Jesus’ life, we think of what Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane.  When I read the Gospel accounts describing Jesus’ emotional state at that time, I hear the words: distressed, troubled, anguished, and overwhelmed with sorrow (NIV).  But in Jesus’ suffering, what captures my attention are the words that come out of His mouth, “Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done” (Luke 22:42).  And the Gospel writers tell us that Jesus went through this intense time of prayer three times and after the third time, I see Jesus not only arising with peace, but I see Him rising in power.

In this event, the picture of Jesus’ anguish brings clarity to the chaos and conflicts in my life.  As I read about His struggle, I am reminded of His teaching in Matthew 6:25-34 as He exhorts His listeners not to worry, but to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness.  This is the reason why I know that I’m at odds with God.  The greatest reason for my stress is I am not seeking the purposes or rule of God in my life, and often, it’s not even a consideration.

Once I settle the question of “who’s the boss,” I am reminded that Paul says I will be able to rejoice.  My problems will not go away, but Paul says, “Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.  His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7).

If you’ve been around me, you might have heard me say, “I’d rather have many trials with God in my life, than have a comfortable life without God.”  I squirm as I write these words because it’s almost like an invitation for trouble.  But as I have said, having the peace of God is very important to me.  When I sing, “It is well with my soul,” I want to it to be authentic and unrestrained.