Monday July 21 Salvation: God’s Initiative A simple reading of the Gospels shows that we owe our salvation entirely to God. Jesus did not come to this world because we invited Him, but because the Father, out of love for us, sent Him. The Father’s initiative is confirmed by Christ’s frequent use of the phrase “He who sent Me” and “the Father who sent Me” (NKJV). (Read John 7:28, 8:29, 12:49.) What else does the Father do for our salvation, according to John 6:44? In spite of the fact that we were sinners and did not love God, He loved us and provided the means for our sins to be forgiven through His Son (1 John 4:10). This wondrous love is what draws us toward Him. Not only is the Father involved, but the Son also has a very active role in our salvation. He came with a definite mission. “ ‘The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost’ ” (Luke 19:10, NKJV). Whenever we contemplate Him lifted up from the earth, He draws us to Himself (John 12:32). How far is the Lord willing to go in His efforts to save us? See Luke 15:3–10. These twin parables show that God is not waiting passively for us to come to Him but actively seeks us out. We have a seeking God. It does not matter if we are astray, far away in a dangerous place or even lost at home; the Lord will seek us untiringly until He finds us. “No sooner does the sheep go astray than the shepherd is filled with grief and anxiety. He counts and recounts the flock. When he is sure that one sheep is lost, he slumbers not. He leaves the ninety and nine within the fold, and goes in search of the straying sheep. The darker and more tempestuous the night and the more perilous the way, the greater is the shepherd’s anxiety and the more earnest his search. He makes every effort to find that one lost sheep. “With what relief he hears in the distance its first faint cry. Following the sound, he climbs the steepest heights, he goes to the very edge of the precipice, at the risk of his own life. Thus he searches, while the cry, growing fainter, tells him that his sheep is ready to die. At last his effort is rewarded; the lost is found.”—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons, p. 188.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 08:36:13 +0000
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