I used to think Christian salvation in terms of heaven. Being saved is receiving a ticket to heaven. And so, until we get to heaven, we do our best to not lose our ticket by being a good Christian (such as not smoking, drinking, fornicating, etc).

But Jesus sees salvation very differently. He sees salvation, among other things, as being found. He tells three stories in a row that make the same point in Luke 15. When He was asked by the pharisees why He spends time with the “sinners,” He tells them the story of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. In all three stories, the common theme is the lost object and the effort the owner made to find it. That is what Jesus came to do. He came to regain that which was lost.

This means salvation is a restored relationship with the Father. And the nature of relationships is that it must be on-going. Being saved then is having a vital, affectionate, and at times even strained relationship. It is NOT like getting a ticket to heaven, for that requires no relationship to receive nor to keep.

With only a few days left in year 2016 and as we are looking forward to 2017, would you make a prayerful commitment to work on your relationship with the Father? Yes, this means reading the Bible, praying, attending regular worship, and linking back all good things to God in praise.

Would you do this until you can taste the sweetness of God? (Then, I don’t have to remind you to do it because you will want to do it on your own! )

PH