PSALM 98:1-3 – “Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him. The LORD has made known his salvation; he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”
THEME OF THE DAY: VIEWING SALVATION RIGHT. It’s probably not something we think about enough. We should. Our joy in the Lord and quality of our walks with Him depend upon it. What I am referring to is the theme of today’s devotion – viewing salvation right.
Salvation is a wonderful gift from God. Undeserved and unearned, we are the recipients of His amazing grace in salvation. It is an eternal truth – God so loved the world that He gave us His only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, that whosever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
The Apostle Paul gives us in great detail all the rich blessings we receive in our salvation. Slowly read this portion of scripture from his letter to the Ephesians and identify those rich blessings – “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth” (Ephesians 1:3-10).
But it is important that we don’t just look at salvation from our viewpoint. In fact, the more we make salvation about us, the less joy of our salvation we will experience. Any emphasis on self in the Christian life, apart from self-denial, self-control, and self-discipline, is a joy-stealer, and that includes salvation. Self-fulfillment, self-interest, and self-promotion are in direct opposition to our Lord’s command of self-denial, even in our salvation. It is Christ who must increase, not us.
In today’s scripture, the Psalmist places the right emphasis on God’s salvation. He writes . . . “Oh sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him”. Who does God work salvation for? Himself primarily. One of the most beautiful doxologies in all the Bible captures this truth well – “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36).
So, how do we view salvation? Our answer determines the spiritual quality of our spiritual lives as well as our nearness to Jesus. Remember, it isn’t primarily about us – nothing is.
PRAYER: Father, forgive me when I make life, even my salvation, all about me.
REFLECTION: Salvation is of the Lord and for the Lord. Praise Him that we are the objects but it is all about Him.