Thinking about the year in retrospect, I thought I might share some selected entries from my gratitude journal. Some of these were addressed specifically to God the Father, some to Jesus, some to the Holy Spirit (all of whom are One, despite their distinct personalities and relationships with us).
I am grateful…
… for Jesus’ faithful heart and sacrifice for me!
… that Jesus it the Truth and the Holy Spirit is sent to guide us into all the truth!
… for rest.
… for a loving wife!
… to be healthy!
… for your Word and the Truth; an anchor against the tempest of deception the enemy is driving into this world as the unwitting give him opportunity.
… for time to dedicate to worship and to become better acquainted with Your Word.
… for those who share lessons they have gleaned from Your Word.
… for encouragement!
… for Your peace!
… that You are merciful!
… that You teach us many things!
… for Your kind intention!
… for the negotiations the President has been engaged in to improve our trade position.
… for the good economy and record-low unemployment!
… for the $10 bill I found in the yard and that the nearest neighbor is a half-mile away.
… for Your guidance!
… that all the promises of God, in You Jesus, are “Yes!” and “Amen!” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
… for the capacity to be grateful, and the benefits of being grateful!
… for forgiveness in Jesus!
… for all the unappreciated ways I have been helped by You!
… for a warm hug from my grand-daughter after traveling to see her recital.
… for the remainder of the year off from work to rest (after 12/21).
… that You have faithfully brought me this far!
… for Your generous heart!
… And, I am grateful the thermometer doesn’t say -22F very often!
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God
Probably, the most
well-known verse about salvation is John 3:16.
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.
This is good news indeed, if one can believe it. In fact, believing is the key to the door (John 10:7, Hebrews 11:6). Ephesians 2:8 uses the word faith. Others relate this fact by using the word trust, which is backed up by Romans 15:13, among many other passages.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Why so many
different expressions? Are we not clear on the premise? How could we
be? Plumbing the depths of this astounding gift requires more
meditation and resulting revelation than we could receive during the
days alloted to a mortal lifetime. I have found increasing faith,
deepening belief, and growing trust with no practical end of the
quest in sight. The reason for this delightful endlessness is that an
aspect of of salvation is that we are coming to be in Him
(Acts 17:28) and He is without limit. Eternal. Omniscient.
Omnipotent. Omnipresent. He is all of these things and He is love (1
John 4:8).
I have heard grace
defined as “unmerited favor.” Merriam Webster has the first entry
as: “unmerited divine assistance given to humans for their
regeneration or sanctification”. Unmerited is right. Scripture
aside, I only have to look back on my own path to recognize that
truth. The scripture, of course, bears this out too.
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8
I am grateful that
Ephesians 2:8 is explicit in pointing out that salvation is His work
and is a gift to us. Yes, we have to believe. If we come to
recognize Him at all, belief is a very low threshold.
When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. John 19:30
It is finished. I
love this passage! No more work required. If I think by my works I am
going to add something, I am painfully deluded and lacking in faith.
Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, Philippians 2:12
So what does “work
out your salvation” mean? To me, it signifies that journey of
trying to understand, and endeavoring to make my actions line up with
the truth revealed in the scripture. “Am I? Are You?” Why fear
and trembling? Because. Sometimes I act like I am insane. I do
things that are counter to the Truth (capital T, as in “I Am the
Truth”). I can’t even claim that I don’t know any better.
I am grateful for
this too:
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
I need that power to
restore me to sanity.
Finally, I want to
observe this:
so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. Hebrews 9:28
Though His sacrifice is finished (complete), He is not done with me yet. Nor, I suspect, is he done with you.
Missionary Sojourn 