HE Was Our First Valentine

“We love because he first loved us.” 1 John 4:19

This blog is for all of us who need to be reminded of who our amazing and awesome God is. HE was our first Valentine! We love because He first loved us!

In the ministry that the Lord has given me I meet with many women who truly do not know who God is or the love He has for them. We THINK we do, but then our behavior reveals something else. If we really did know God, the God of all creation, who created the heavens and the earth, and His amazing love for us, we wouldn’t have the fear and anxiety that we have in our hearts and minds, and our lives would look very different.

God IS Love. Not the namby pamby love that we know and offer but the TRUE Love that IS God and that only God can give. This was a great exercise for me because it reminded me, yet again, of how amazing my God and Father in Heaven truly is.

Initially, for Valentine’s Day, I wanted to pull some scriptures from the Bible that spoke of God’s love for us but then I thought of listing some of the scriptures of who He is first, just as a reminder and a refresher, to give us a better context of WHO it is that is in LOVE with us! So I have started with just a few of the many scriptures describing our amazing God…the First and the Last, the Beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega, the I AM, our creator, Father and Friend… and SO much more, THIS is the God who “First loved us”!:

“The LORD is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him, my father's God, and I will exalt him. The LORD is a warrior; the LORD is his name.” Exodus 15:1-3

 “Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you-- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11

 “Do not be terrified by them, for the LORD your God, who is among you, is a great and awesome God.” Deuteronomy 7:21

“To the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, the earth and everything in it…  For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:14-18

“Out of the north he comes in golden splendor; God comes in awesome majesty. The Almighty is beyond our reach and exalted in power; in his justice and great righteousness, he does not oppress.” Job 37:22-23

“O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens.” Psalms 8:1

“How awesome is the LORD Most High, the great King over all the earth!” Psalms 47:2

“The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, the LORD thunders over the mighty waters. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.” Psalms 29:3-4

“The LORD reigns, he is robed in majesty; the LORD is robed in majesty and is armed with strength. The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved. Your throne was established long ago; you are from all eternity.” Psalms 93:1-2

“… O LORD my God, you are very great; you are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of his upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds his chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants. He set the earth on its foundations; it can never be moved.” Psalm 104:1-5

“Glorious and majestic are his deeds, and his righteousness endures forever. He has caused his wonders to be remembered; the LORD is gracious and compassionate. He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever… The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. They are steadfast for ever and ever, done in faithfulness and uprightness.” Psalms 111:3-8

 “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving toward all he has made. The LORD upholds all those who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food at the proper time. The LORD is righteous in all his ways and loving toward all he has made.  The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.” Psalms 145:13-19

“Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and joy in his dwelling place.” 1 Chronicles 16:27

“Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” 1 Chronicles 29:11-12

“Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. To whom will you compare me or count me equal? To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?... I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please… What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do. Isaiah 46:4-5 & 9-11

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." Revelation 1:8

“… I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.” Revelation 21:6-7

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 22:13

“… I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.” Revelation 22:16

Those were just a few of the scriptures describing God to us. Now here are some scriptures that talk about His love for US. I hope they bless you as much as they did me

:

“… "The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.”  Exodus 34:6-7

“Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9

“Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." Deuteronomy 31:6

"O LORD, God of Israel, there is no God like you in heaven above or on earth below--you who keep your covenant of love with your servants who continue wholeheartedly in your way.” 1 Kings 8:23

…"O LORD, God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and obey his commands…” Nehemiah 1:5

“The LORD is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The LORD is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made.” Psalms 145:8-9

“Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the LORD your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” Joel 2:13

“The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

"No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him" – 1 Corinthians 2:9

 “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

"I am accepted in the Beloved." Ephesians 1:6

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions--it is by grace you have been saved.” Ephesians 2:4-5

“How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!” 1 John 3:1

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.” 1 John 4:9-10

Oh, Father, You are our first and greatest Valentine! Thank you for loving us first and showing us what real love looks like! You have poured out your life and love upon us generation after generation, drawing us back to you. I pray Father that you would open our hearts, ears and minds to be able to truly SEE you and KNOW you as you are and not as we have created you in our own minds. Replace the lies with the TRUTH and turn our hearts towards you and help us to be just as passionate about our relationship with you as you are with us! In Jesus name! Your loving Valentine, Linda :)

Salt Life

“Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if it loses its saltiness, how can you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with each other.” Mark 9:49-50

In the last year and a half or so I started noticing stickers on the back windows of some of the cars on the road that said “Salt Life”. Have you seen these? I was curious as to what that meant, I thought initially that it had some sort of Biblical meaning so each time I saw it I wondered about it. Then one day I actually remembered to look it up and, as it turns out, these are people who really enjoy “beach” life. Well, that’s cool! Mystery solved and now I know. But, I kind of like the “Biblical” reference idea, so I borrowed the title for this blog :)\

A few months ago, as I am listening to the gospels again I hear Mark 9 (the scripture above) and I wonder to myself, yet again, “what does being ‘salted with fire’ mean?” I have heard this several times as I listen to the gospels, and other references to “salt” but this time I honed in on it and decided to ask Tom about it (sometimes he understands things a little better than I do). Well, as it turns out, he wasn’t quite sure about this either so I decided to do a little more research.

I looked up all the references to “salt” I could find in the Bible and discovered a few things! It really is amazing how MUCH cool stuff is in the Bible!! Apparently SALT is really important! Did you know that God made a “covenant of salt” between David and Israel? I didn’t… and I am thinking, “What the heck is a covenant of salt!” but here it is:

“Don't you know that the LORD, the God of Israel, has given the kingship of Israel to David and his descendants forever by a covenant of salt?” 2 Chronicles 13:5 (2 Samuel 7:8-16)

“Whatever is set aside from the holy offerings the Israelites present to the LORD I give to you and your sons and daughters as your regular share. It is an everlasting covenant of salt before the LORD for both you and your offspring." Numbers 18:19

Here are some other cool references to salt that I hadn’t noticed before:

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6

 “Then he went out to the spring and threw the salt into it, saying, "This is what the LORD says: 'I have healed this water. Never again will it cause death or make the land unproductive." 2 Kings 2:21

“Put salt on Moab, for she will be laid waste; her towns will become desolate, with no one to live in them.” Jeremiah 48:9

“On the day you were born your cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to make you clean, nor were you rubbed with salt or wrapped in cloths.” Ezekiel 16:4

“You are to offer them before the LORD, and the priests are to sprinkle salt on them and sacrifice them as a burnt offering to the LORD.” Ezekiel 43:24

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16

After I read the above Matthew scripture I looked at the Believers Bible Commentary in eSword regarding each verse and here are a few tidbits I thought were interesting:

B. Believers Are Salt and Light (5:13-16)

5:13   Jesus likened His disciples to salt. They were to the world what salt is in everyday life: salt seasons food; it hinders the spread of corruption; it creates thirst; it brings out the flavor. So His followers add piquancy to human society, serve as a preservative, and make others long for the righteousness described in the preceding verses.

If salt loses its flavor, how can its saltiness be restored? There is no way to restore the true, natural taste. Once it has lost its flavor, salt is good for nothing. It is discarded on a footpath. Albert Barnes' comment on this passage is illuminating:

The salt used in this country is a chemical compound—and if the saltiness were lost, or it were to lose its savor, there would be nothing remaining. In eastern countries, however, the salt used was impure, mingled with vegetable and earthly substances; so that it might lose the whole of its saltiness, and a considerable quantity [of salt without flavor] remain. This was good for nothing except that it was used, as it is said, to place in paths, or walks, as we use gravel.

The disciple has one great function—to be the salt of the earth by living out the terms of discipleship listed in the Beatitudes and throughout the rest of the Sermon. If he fails to exhibit this spiritual reality, men will tread his testimony under their feet. The world has only contempt for an undedicated believer.

After I read the commentary I decided not to try to recreate the wheel so I did a search on the web for more info on this subject. Here are some thoughts and comments I thought were interesting regarding the covenant of salt and what it meant to be salted with fire. (I will post the links at the end of the blog):

…Salt, an emblem of the covenant between God and His people, was intended to remind the people that the covenant was a solemn treaty to be kept inviolate. In presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to God (Rom_12:1-2), we should season the sacrifice with salt by making it an irrevocable commitment…

...It has been common throughout history for people to confirm their agreements with each other by eating and drinking together, at which times salt is used. As salt was added to foods, not only for spice but also to preserve them from decay, it became a symbol of incorruptibility and permanence. A "covenant of salt" signified an everlasting covenant. In the Bible, salt also came to symbolize purity, perfection, wisdom, hospitality, durability, and fidelity…

…Here, a covenant of salt suggests an agreement of enduring qualities, even forever. Thus a covenant of salt is one that is very strong, though it may not always be everlasting. Salt is understood to be the preservative, suggesting endurance. When God makes use of this metaphor, He is urging us to be faithful despite how circumstances appear on the surface because His Word is absolutely sure. Like Himself, His Word endures forever…

…So, for us today, a Covenant of Salt takes place when an offering is made to the Lord (ourselves), the salt of grace is added, a meal is shared (His Body and Blood) and the Covenant God made with man is received (salvation).  A Covenant that is incorruptible and everlasting…

… As I came to understand the Tenach concept of the Covenant of Salt, it made me re-examine this passage again.  I discovered that the immediate context of Jesus’ “salt of the earth” statement is being persecuted for righteousness.  He just got done telling those listening to Him on the mountainside they would be blessed over and over again if they followed Him.  One of those blessing was persecution!  If one lives for Yeshua as “the salt of the earth”, one should expect to be insulted, persecuted and falsely accused.  Jesus is telling His followers the reality of following Him – the good, the bad and the ugly truth of it all…

…He continues this line of thinking in Luke 14:34-35.   In this passage, Yeshua also uses salt in the context of counting the cost of being His disciple.  He tells those listening to Him that they must love Him more than their family and their very life itself.  Then after talking about calculating the cost of building a tower and going to war, He states that once salt loses its saltiness, it’s not good for anything, even for fertilizer.  It has no value whatsoever, so He tells His listeners to listen up.  Living for Him will not be a walk in the park.  It will cost them something; so think about it before they begin the journey.

As you agree to worship Him through your everyday actions, even when it costs you something or goes against your way of thinking, you’ll become salty, which will make people thirsty enough to ask, “Where do you find your peace in the midst of tough times?  How can you live the way you do when everyone else is doing the opposite?”  Those who are the salt of the earth will automatically be the light of the world and will be ready to shine their light on Jesus.

This was such an interesting and educational topic for me! So now I will attempt to sum all of this up into a nice neat package.  My new definition of a “Salt Life” is this:

A Salt Life is for those who desire to present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God, seasoning the

sacrifice with salt making an irrevocable commitment and becoming a symbol of incorruptibility and permanence.  Making a "covenant of salt" signifies an everlasting covenant, symbolizing purity, perfection, wisdom, hospitality, durability, and fidelity.  We are to be faithful despite how our circumstances appear on the surface because we trust that His Word is absolutely sure. Like Himself, His Word endures forever. Choosing to live as “the salt of the earth”, we should expect to be salted with fire, being insulted, persecuted and falsely accused, staying faithful to him through the good, the bad and the ugly. We must love Him more than our family and our very life itself.  As we worship Him through our everyday actions, even when it costs us something or goes against our way of thinking, we become salty, which will make people thirsty enough to ask, “Where do you find your peace in the midst of tough times?  Those who are living the “Salt Life” will automatically shine the light of Jesus on the world!

Are you up for the challenge of living a Salt Life?

Lord, the spirit is willing but the flesh is still so weak!! This sounds good on paper but… can I truly live this out in my life?? Only with YOUR help, courage and strength can I do this Lord! Thank you for giving me EVERYTHING I need for life and Godliness, to live out this Salt Life for You! Your hopefully salty daughter, Linda :)

References:

http://www.torahclass.com/archived-articles/1036-featured-article-sp-940659465

http://www.bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Topical.show/RTD/CGG/ID/2414/Salt-of-Covenant.htm

http://biblehub.com/commentaries/mark/9-49.htm

Once Saved Always Saved…??

Ok, let’s face it, this is a VERY tough topic for many people… So, let me just say right here, I am not going to even pretend to say I have the answer to this question as I am still on the journey of discovery. I guess my goal in writing this blog is to share with you my journey thus far regarding this topic. Over the years, as I have grown in my walk and knowledge of the Lord, my thoughts, beliefs and ideas on this subject have changed a few times based on scriptures that I read. I have gone from thinking, “Once we give our lives to Jesus we are saved, that's it. It's a done deal, and we can never “lose” our salvation”, to “We aren’t saved unless we endure till the end!”… To where I am now… which I will share with you in a bit :) This has turned out to be a pretty long blog, mostly due to all the scriptures I have posted, but I encourage you to hang in there with me! I hope you will not be disappointed.

Once Saved Always saved

Here are the scriptures that led me to believe in the “once saved always saved” theology:

“Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”  John 3:15-16

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him." John 3:36

“I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. He will come in and go out, and find pasture.” John 10:9

“I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.”  John 6:47

“That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10

“Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:16

“I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs on the earth below, blood and fire and billows of smoke. The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and glorious day of the Lord. And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.' Act 2:19-21

“They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household." Acts 16:31

And then we have the thief on the cross:

“One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."  Luke 23:39-43

I LOVE this story because it counters the belief that you have to be “baptized” to be saved, or that you have to pray a certain “prayer”, or speak in tongues… The thief just acknowledges that Jesus is Lord by recognizing and acknowledging that He has a “Kingdom”!!

The scriptures I have listed above are pretty basic. Just believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved and have eternal life!! But then… I would run across scriptures like the ones below and it would make me wonder if there wasn’t MORE to this salvation thing…:

He who overcomes and stands firm to the end will be saved!

“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful… If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”  John 15:2-6

If we don’t “remain in Him” we can wither and be thrown into the fire?? Here are a couple more like this:

“The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire." Luke 3:9

“Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” Matthew 21:43

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. He who overcomes will not be hurt at all by the second death.” Revelation 2:10-11

Be Faithful and He will give you the crown of life…? He who “overcomes” will not

be hurt by the second death??

“He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and his angels.” Revelation 3:5

This implies that our names CAN be blotted out of the book of life!! If we don’t “overcome” will our names be removed??

“Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.” 2 Peter 1:10-11

Ok… so if I DO fall, will I NOT be welcomed into the eternal Kingdom??

“You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.” Matthew 5:13

This one is like the branch. If we lose our “saltiness” we are good for nothing and can be thrown out!

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  Matthew 24:10-13

So, we CAN “turn away” from the faith, but we can also “stand firm to the end” and be saved. So… is it simply to believe and be saved…??

“Someone asked him, "Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?" He said to them, Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.' "But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from…' Luke 13:23-27

This implies that people will “think” they are saved, trying to enter through the narrow door but will not be able to…

“Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child; children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.”  Matthew 10:21-22 & Mark 13:13

Again, it’s not just a matter of just “believing in Jesus” but “… he who stands firm to the end” will be saved!

“See to it, brothers, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first.” Hebrews 3:12-14

Again, we CAN turn away from God! It just doesn’t suddenly “disappear” or become “Lost” but we can “choose” our salvation away!! So we must hold firmly till the end!

Being a disciple of Jesus…

Then I began to notice a different terminology used by Jesus, “You cannot be my ‘disciple’…!” Hmmm… that is interesting. Not just to believe and be “saved” but, to become a disciple of Christ. In reading these scriptures, it seems that the bar is set much higher and is more difficult for these people:

“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters--yes, even his own life--he cannot be my disciple. And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:26-27

“In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.” Luke 14:33

What is the difference between being saved and being a disciple?

I have run across a few Oswald devotions that speak about being a disciple as well:

September 4th Oswald:

"If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple" (Luk_14:26). He was not saying that this person cannot be good and upright, but that he cannot be someone over whom Jesus can write the word Mine. Any one of the relationships our Lord mentions in this verse can compete with our relationship with Him. I may prefer to belong to my mother, or to my wife, or to myself, but if that is the case, then, Jesus said, "[You] cannot be My disciple." This does not mean that I will not be saved, but it does mean that I cannot be entirely His.

This is such an interesting thought!! I can be “saved” but not “entirely His”?! I am still chewing on that one!

September 25th Oswald

If we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must be made disciples supernaturally. And as long as we consciously maintain the determined purpose to be His disciples, we can be sure that we are not disciples. Jesus says, "You did not choose Me, but I chose you . . ." (Joh_15:16). That is the way the grace of God begins. It is a constraint we can never escape; we can disobey it, but we can never start it or produce it ourselves. We are drawn to God by a work of His supernatural grace, and we can never trace back to find where the work began.

So, are the scriptures above referring to just disciples or to everyone?? And Oswald brings up another really good point in that God says we don’t choose HIM but He chooses us (John 15:16)! So, now we are talking about being “chosen”!!? Does that mean He chooses His disciples or who will be saved, or both?? Whew! I can get pretty overwhelmed just thinking about all that these scriptures say and what it all means… (Here are a few more if you want to look them up: Hebrews 6:4-6, 1 Corinthians 9 24-10:13, Luke 8:11-15, Hebrews 2:1)

So, as promised at the beginning, I will share where I am now with this question (but again, I am still open to new information and revelation from God!) I do still believe we can call on the Name of Jesus, believe in Him and we will be saved. But…! I don’t think it ends there! I believe it is a journey! Day by day surrendering and dying to myself and giving my life to Him each and every day! Not just a “one time thing”! If we TRULY believe in Him and love Him, wouldn’t we want to pursue Jesus above all else?? And wouldn’t our lives reflect the true transformation and fruit that a relationship with Him reveals? We can’t just pray a prayer, say we believe and then go on with our lives, business as usual. We need to produce spiritual fruit. If, in our hearts we do believe, we WILL be saved and the fruit will come naturally. (Side note: I feel like I need to say here that it is not up to “me” to decide what is in another person’s heart or what spiritual fruit should look like in their life. Only God can do that!! I just need to focus on MY relationship and journey with Him.)

When I asked Tom how he would explain it he came up with a perfect analogy. He said that being saved is like getting married. It’s not just about saying “I do”! You spend the rest of your married life investing in the other person, building your relationship and growing in intimacy as you fully know them and are fully known by them. That is the same thing with Jesus! Just like getting married, we say “I do” to Him, give our life to Him, and then spend the rest of our lives pursuing that relationship and intimacy with Him to know Him as He knows us. It’s not just a “one moment in time” event, but a daily investment, through thick and thin, in riches and poverty, in sickness and in health, in good times and bad. There will be times of closeness, times of distance, frustration, hurt and anger but all those things can and should draw you closer to Him… IF you overcome and stand firm till the end. But, unfortunately many of us get discouraged and give up, like in our marriages, and we choose to “divorce” the Lord… And maybe that is when we “choose” our salvation away and stop producing fruit?

Ok, so on that note, let’s take this “marriage” analogy a little further. There are many marriages with people just “living together” having given up on the marriage relationship, but they still stay married because it is easier than doing anything about it. They just exists under the same roof but are living separate lives and not pursuing intimacy. I think we can say that there are Christians in the world doing the same thing with Jesus. They are disillusioned and have stopped pursuing Him but, while they still believe in Him, they are living their own life separate from Him. Are they saved?? Are they like the ones who choose to turn away? I have no idea… I just know that “fruit” is really important to God.  

Anyway, this all still seems so incomplete, falling so short of discovering what it means to be saved, and I know I still have so much more to learn. Tom says, “I don’t think we truly understand what God means when He says we are saved because we have been listening to man’s interpretation for so long!” How can we possibly comprehend such an amazing and complex God!!??? So, to simplify it for myself, I boil it down to my life’s verses; To seek first HIS Kingdom, to fix my eyes on Him, Abide in Him, and to Love Him with ALL my heart, soul, strength and mind, and I KNOW He will take care of the rest!! :) To me it is MORE than just “being saved”, it is a pursuit of a relationship with someone I REALLY love and want to get to know better! The “salvation prayer” has unfortunately been turned into a “get out of hell free” card that we think we can just present to God when we face Him. In this case, does “once saved always saved” apply?? To be honest, I really don’t know! But, from what these scripture tell me, "…he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from…' Luke 13:23-27 Do we really want to risk hearing those words from Him?? I don’t!

Holy Spirit, I thank you that you continually open my eyes to see You more and more clearly each day. Thank you for this journey of discovery of YOU and of Your heart for ME. I am excited that you continue to reveal more insights into your purpose and plan and that I don’t stay the same but am always changing and growing as I allow you to reveal yourself to me. Help me Lord to always keep my eyes fixed on YOU, the author and perfecter of my faith. With all my love, your daughter, Linda :)