What are you thankful for? What are those things that put a little hop in your step or a song in your heart? What can bring tears of joy to your eyes? Perhaps it’s family and friends, the generosity of others, or the home that you live in. Some are thankful for meaningful experiences including visiting beautiful places, eating delicious food, or just sitting by a warm fire. My youngest son is thankful for bottlecaps and corndogs.
But the one thing that should move us to praise and thanksgiving is often the one thing we take for granted or have grown cold to, that is, our salvation. Before you roll your eyes at this obvious, sunday school answer, think carefully. The gospel of your salvation is one the greatest, life-changing truth that continues to bear fruit in you throughout all of your days!
I need to continually return to this myself. I need to consider how a perfect God would love, die for, and accept a deeply sinful person like me. This is more than amazing and should lead me to grateful worship. God’s holiness makes it impossible for man to draw near to God and yet God has chosen to draw near to us in the person and work of Jesus.
Our reading for today tells us a few things about our salvation that we should be praising God for.
New Birth
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3
The great mercy of the new birth (regeneration) is the life changing aspect of the gospel. It is when God reaches deep inside us and takes out our heart of stone in order to replace it with a heart of flesh that beats for him (Eze. 36:26). But a new heart isn’t the only thing we receive. God also gives us a new mind, a new spirit and new affections.
We are no longer what we once were. God has taken away the older person and made us new (2 Cor 5:17). We can now love God and treasure his word. The new birth causes us to weep over our sins and rejoice over God’s immeasurable grace. And best of all there is no person whose sin goes so deep that God’s cant’ reach it and exchange it for a heart of righteousness.
This is truly praiseworthy.
Inheritance
and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you,
1 Peter 1:4
God’s amazing generosity and love do not stop with simply giving us a new life through Christ’s death. He continues his generosity by granting us an eternal inheritance. This inheritance is beyond what we could ever imagine. It includes a kingdom, a new world, eternal life, and Christ himself. Sadly many of us find this boring. Those who are not excited about the inheritance don’t hate their sin and the evil in the world as much as they should, nor see Jesus Christ as their first love. We want to be with the ones we love. We long to escape the evil that hurts us and others. Study this inheritance and know it well–it belongs to you. The better you understand and know it the more thankful you will be for it.
who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials.
1 Peter 1:5,6
This inheritance is not something to be bought or earned in any way. As a part of the good news of the gospel it is a precious gift from God. And he is keeping it safe for us until we get to heaven. While life on earth can be very difficult, God will protect our souls and empower us to persevere in faith to the very end. What Christ’s blood has bought cannot be undone. The life that Christ gives through his resurrection cannot be killed. This is truly a great reason to celebrate with gratitude and thanksgiving!
Looking to Jesus,
Our NEW upcoming Advent study begins December 1!
Mark these dates and keep an eye open for more information coming soon!
I thank God for first loving me. The sacrifice of his only son is a constant reminder of how much he love me. This keeps me trusting him through the good the times and the bad when I think I am all in it by myself. I will always put my confidence in him.
Dear Particia,
When I read your comment, it reminded me of a statement someone said to me regarding their salvation …”I don’t have to do life alone anymore!”
Sorry…Patricia, not Particia (didn’t catch that typo)
Oh yes, thank you for sharing. You are right, we are not alone even when it sometimes feels that way. Which is why we have to make sure we rely on truth and not on feelings.
Dear Jen,
Thank you for our devotional today.
I have also heard people say that they think eternal life will be boring. But they are thinking about this with their human mind. Here is what the Word of God promises us and should make us feel so grateful:
1 Cor. 2:9 – “However, as it is written: ‘What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived’— the things God has prepared for those who love him.”
We “can only imagine” what God has in store for us! What will be reality is far beyond our human comprehension!
Praise God!
I am guilty of the same thing sometimes. There are days when eternity/heaven seems so elusive that it is hard to get excited about it. But I have found that the more I study it the more excited I become.
Thank you Jen for sharing this with us this morning. I know I am guilty of forgetting just how wonderful a blessing our salvation is, as well as how wonderful and rich our Heavenly Father is. To love us so much that he sacrificed His own son, so that we might come to know a fraction of who He is. It’s overwhelming. We so easily put God in this “character box,” we have our perception of who He is and leave it at that, the longer we keep Him in that box, the more shallow His character becomes in our hearts and minds. Opening that “box” and studying who He is reveals such depth, richness, wonderful love and compassion beyond comprehension. Thank you for reminding us this morning that salvation is not something to accept then place on a shelf to collect dust. But something to be treasured, nurtured, and grown.
Kirsten,
I love that picture of us putting our salvation on a shelf for it to collect dust. It’s not a pretty picture, but it is what we sometimes do. Thank you for sharing.
When I was a child I used to think Heaven would be boring because I was told that I couldn’t take my toys. Oh how I have grown! Thank you Lord for letting me realize that Heaven will be glorious beyond my imagination! I apologize for taking my Salvation for granted. Jesus left Heaven, came to Earth and was humiliated, tortured, and killed on my behalf. He was an innocent man taking my place on the cross. My mind is astounded at that level of love. I pray that each day I can get better at serving and obeying You and living in a way that glorifies You and Your sacrifice. Thank you!
Monica, Keep praying! Your faith and desire to serve is a sacrifice of praise.
Amy A (LGG Encourager)
My joy is in heaven and in the love of my Saviour, Jesus Christ! ALL praise and thanksgiving to our precious Lord for His gift of eternal life to us. And thank you, LGG group for sharing His words with us in this beautiful study. Looking for ward to Dec. 1 with an open heart.
Thank you for your kind words. I pray that your heart continues to be blessed.
Amy A (LGG Encourager)