RADICAL BLESSINGS: Who Owns Your Salvation?

This entry is part 3 of 8 in the series Abide in God's Love

Abide in God's Love

RADICAL BLESSINGS

Abide in God’s Love: Who Owns Your Salvation?

Day 2 Bible Reading: John 15:13-15, Revelation 7:9-17

Click here to read Revelation 7:9-17 on Biblegateway.com.

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Last week, I goofed, big time. It was a humbling experience.

Not just a little humbling, but one of those totally embarrassing, open-mouth-insert-foot, wish-I-could-go-back-in-time type of experiences.

I left feeling like a fool.

Most of the time when this happens, I’m able to shake it off, remind myself I’m only human and move on, but this one continued to haunt me. I replayed it in my mind the next day, wishing I could somehow go back in time and recreate the situation.

I found myself wondering if the other people involved were laughing at me behind my back, still talking about the situation and thinking about that crazy woman who said what she said and did what she did.

Can you relate to a similar humbling situation like mine?

Who Owns Your Salvation?

God granted me a gift in today’s Bible passage.

The wording in Revelation 7 caught my attention as I was studying about how to abide in God’s love.

Revelation 7:9 says, “Salvation belongs to our God.” We are given the picture of a great multitude of people in heaven worshiping God, declaring how salvation belongs to God alone. Don’t let the significance of the wording here pass by you.

The ownership of your salvation belongs to God alone, and to the Lamb — Jesus Christ.

Our salvation comes because we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior. His death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin so that we will have eternal life with Him after we die.

For those of us who already trust in Jesus as our Savior, and perhaps have for our whole lives, I think it becomes easy to breeze through these passages. Yep, I’ve got this one.

Salvation — check. Moving on.

RADICAL Salvation

I’ve been missing a critical understanding in this passage and others similar passages, like Psalm 3:8, “Salvation belongs to the Lord; your blessing be on your people!”

When I say salvation belongs to our God, it means I understand that I come to God empty handed. I have nothing, and He has everything.

My whole life becomes a reflection of this understanding. When I give God absolutely everything — my time, my children, my credit card, my marriage, my smartphone, my habits, my all, what is the problem with being humbled?

This doesn’t mean I am walked over or made to be a fool in any way. When the God of the universe abides in me, His glory is in me!

It simply means it’s not about me at all.

Salvation belongs to our God.

Who or what are you trusting for your salvation today?