Reflections from May 19, 2010

Today we read in Romans 5:8, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

This brings home an important theme of the Bible, that of our salvation, and God's desire for every one of us to be saved from sin. We can look at salvation from three perspectives: Past, present and future.

A finished work in the past means we've already placed faith in Jesus finished work on the Cross, and we have been saved. Our salvation is secure, our sins forgiven, and we have been transformed from being a condemned sinner to a righteous child of God.

We're still an ongoing work in the present because we still sin. But the Holy Spirit can help deliver us from temptations that lead to our sinning and this helps us be "saved" on a continuous basis and sanctifies us. Justification saves us from the penalty of sin, and sanctification saves us from the power of sin.

Our hope for the future is that point in time when we go to be with the Lord, and will become perfected before God. We will be fully saved from judgement, removed from sin's presence, restored to the image and likeness of God, and will enter into eternal life with God.

From Proverbs 19:22 we read, "What is desired in a man is kindness, And a poor man is better than a liar."

Showing kindness towards others will give us a very satisfying life, one that is filled with friends that love us. Also, people don't want to be around us, no matter how kind we act, if we are lying to them. If we show kindness and tell the truth to all, we will be in favor with all rather than the "nobility" that all are after as described in 19:6.

Blessings to all