THANKFUL FOR SALVATION

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;) That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us."

1 John 1

Undeniably the biggest blessing God's given to all of us is salvation. In this thanksgiving season I know at the top of my list of things I am thankful for is my salvation. In the fall of 1984 God sent his sweet Holy Spirit down to beckon my soul to the Cross and accept His son’s free and perfect gift of redemption . On that day I did not know what all that meant , but the more I read and grow in the Lord the more I understand why  Paul said “I thank my God for his unspeakable gift .”

If you've been in church any length of time, you've heard that salvation is the most important life decision you'll ever make. But step back and think about the provision of salvation for a minute.

 God sent His only Son to die for your sins, if that isn’t love. No matter how often you hear the story or think about Christ's death, you cannot get over the fact that were it not for Jesus' sacrifice, your life would be hopeless and aimless. Were it not for salvation, you would be wandering through life without a real purpose.

Aren't you thankful that Jesus willingly suffered the Cross for you? Imagine your life without God. What would you be doing? What would your life's craving be? What would you have to look forward to? God truly provided the greatest blessing of all when He provided salvation through His Son.

Since we realize that salvation is the most important decision someone will ever make, we truly  want our friends, family, neighbors, and coworkers to make that decision as well? While you can't force them into salvation, you can live a godly life, exhibit a Christ-like testimony, and share God's plan of salvation with them.

As John says, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full" (1 John 1:3-4). Share God's salvation with others so they can experience the joys you know through Christ.

Christian, don't allow this week go  quickly  by without stopping to reflect on the basis for your thankfulness-God's free gift of salvation. Without salvation, you have no reason to be thankful. But with salvation, you have forgiveness for the past, guidance for today, and hope for the future. In this we find the true joy to be thankful in all things. I am truly thankful for my Saviour and his gift of salvation