Salvation is a Gift

I recently went to an ornament exchange at a church I was invited to. It was a beautiful fellowship experience, but one small thing stood out to me the most. Amongst amazing snacks, fun games, and gorgeous singing voices; we were told about the best Christmas gift of all; Jesus Christ, and the salvation he gave us by laying down His life so we could have ours. Salvation is a gift. A wonderful lady at my table made a statement that made me think a little harder. "You cannot lose your salvation" she said.

What is salvation? John 3:16 says, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life"

Believing that Jesus Christ lived, died for us, and rose again; accepting that by grace through faith-that's salvation. Salvation is a gift that was given to us even though we as sinners, don't really deserve it. Although, I absolutely agree with her statement that we cannot lose our salvation, I'd like to take it a step further and say that Salvation is a gift, like any other gift, we have an option to accept it or reject it. What do i mean by this? You cannot have full salvation without repentance.

Let me be clear; Jesus gave HIS LIFE for us-in return, we are to do the same. Luke 9:23 "Jesus says that to follow him, you must take up your cross daily" What is repentance? Repentance is a change of heart and mind. It means, the things we were once "okay" with doing, saying, being, are no longer an option. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are accepting that He will change our hearts and minds. We will be born again. This means, We must die to ourselves (our flesh) each and everyday.

Sin is separation from God. I feel that at this point we are all very clear on that. The thing is, we are all sinners. That's where the gift comes in. None of us are perfect, we all sin in our own ways, that's why I said that none of us deserve this gift that we are offered. Although we cannot lose our salvation-as long as we have air in our lungs, the gift is there for us to accept-we can reject it, even if we don't think/know that's what we're doing. Let me explain.

I've been very open about my addictions in the past, so I'll use this as an example. The day I gave my life to Christ, I was not clean, in fact, I was under the influence of marijuana when I hit my knees and prayed. I had a personal conviction about my substance use and fought very hard to let go of it. God changed my heart about it. Before, I could smoke all day and it wouldn't bother me, I didn't feel guilty or shamed. When I repented of my sins and asked God to save me from myself, I made the decision to accept the gift of Salvation. Now, I've slipped up since then, but this time (because of repentance) my heart felt heavy and I felt that shame and guilt right after I took a hit. That change of heart posture, that guilt, was God saying to me "Come back Child, don't go that way again!" Like a father correcting a toddler heading towards danger. I asked for forgiveness and pick up my cross daily to not slip up again. We are sinners, we are going to make mistakes, but "Not loosing our Salvation" is not a "get out of Hell free card", if you will. If we actively make the choice to sin just to say "I'll ask for forgiveness later" then go back to that same sin with no feeling of personal conviction, we haven't truly repented and we are choosing to reject the Salvation we were so graciously gifted. By doing this, we throw ourselves into a vicious cycle of making the wrong choice and taking God for granted. If we wake up and chose to sin, knowing it's separating us from God, but go back and say "Hey God, I'm sorry" without really meaning it, what are we doing? If you had a friend that hurt you by saying/doing something mean, and they apologize, and you forgive them, but they continue to say/do that same thing from before, their next apology isn't going to have the same effect. You're not going to trust them the same. That's why a relationship with Christ is so important. If we go to God and ask forgiveness we are accepting that what we've done was wrong, he will forgive us, for He is a gracious God; but if we chose to keep doing it with no change of heart, then it's null and void because we chose to make it that way.

God doesn't send us to Hell, we send ourselves there. By accepting Jesus, we are gifted Salvation; by repentance, we are allowing our hearts of stone to be turned to flesh. He changes us from the inside out. We are called to pick up our cross daily and walk the narrow path that leads to Christ. True repentance is the key to lock in our gift of Salvation. 2 Corinthians 7:10 "Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death."

Father God,

I know I am not perfect, nor is anyone reading this. Lord I pray that you can reach each person that needs this message you've placed on my heart. In this season of Giving and Receiving, I pray that hearts and minds are changed. So that we may receive salvation and give you our repented hearts. I pray that those who take for granted the gift of Salvation may see the light, the truth, the love you have graciously provided for us. Lord Jesus, In your name I pray that those who repeatedly ask forgiveness for the same mistakes day in and day out will truly feel the conviction you lay on our hearts, so that we may truly repent of the sins we commit. Father, help us die to ourselves daily to that we may pick up our cross to follow you wholeheartedly. Lord forgive those who are living in darkness unknowingly; those who have been deceived by the enemy, show yourself to them in the truest form. As for myself Lord, please continue the work you're doing, fix me from the inside out, Father, I make mistakes, as we all do. Forgive me for the times I've taken for granted the gift of Salvation. Thank you for the gift you've given; I pray that those who have eyes to see and ears to hear get to know, on the deepest level, the wonderful, gracious, truthful, loving God that you are.

In Jesus name I pray.

Amen.