You are about to embark on a new, challenging but rewarding adventure. First
of all, you have not joined some kind of club, but rather, you are now
part of an unseen kingdom known as the kingdom of God.
You have not become a member of a social group of do- gooders, but
you have become a member of a new family because you are now a child
of God.
You have not become a part of some religious group, but rather you
are now part of a new covenant that allows you privileges that will
last for eternity (Matthew 5:3; John 1:12; Hebrews 12:24).
Your salvation is not the latest fad embracing the world around you,
but a new beginning. It does not promote a religion, but a relationship
with God Almighty. It is not a creed that consists of do's and don'ts
but rather it is a life that embodies power, purpose and glory (John
14:6; Romans 1:16; 1 Thessalonians 1:4-6).
It is important to understand your salvation. First of all you have
been saved from harsh taskmasters that were bent on your destruction.
These taskmasters include sin, spiritual death (separation from God
who is life), spiritual ruin which comes from the world (lust of flesh,
pride of life, lust of eyes) and destruction from the enemy of your
soul, Satan (Romans 5:21; 6:23; 1 John 3:8).
It is also vital to recognize that salvation does not just mean deliverance
from that which oppresses and destroys but it also means you have been
saved unto something. Scripture tells us that a person is saved unto
good works, but what does that mean (2 Timothy 3:17; Titus 3:8; James
2:18)?
What Am I Being Saved Unto?
When you ask Jesus to come into your life to save you, you had to confess
that He is Lord (Romans 10:9 & 10). The term "Lord" means
Jesus is now your owner, for you have been bought with a price (1 Corinthians
6:20).
Since Jesus is your owner, He is now your master. This was a necessary
exchange so your former taskmasters would have to concede their claims
on you. You now only have to please one Lord and His name is Jesus.
He is gentle, meek, humble and trustworthy (Matthew 11:28-30).
The Word of God gives all believers insight into what it means for
their lives to actually belong to Jesus. For example Colossians 1:27
tells us Christ is in us and 1 Corinthians 1:30 tells us God has placed
us in Christ who serves as everything we need in order to grow in our
spiritual lives. All believers start out being placed positionally in
Christ and He in them but it must become a reality of the heart, soul
and mind instead of just an initial concept accepted by faith.
In fact, the key to understanding and maintaining the joy of our salvation
hinges on our position in Christ becoming a reality. The only way that
this joy can become real is that Jesus becomes the One who calls the
shots, directs all of our steps and becomes our constant adviser and
companion. As Jesus graduates from being Someone who simply saves us
to becoming our personal Lord and God, we then can enter into a true
friendship with Him. He said it best:
"Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth
not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things
that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you." (John
15:15).
As Jesus takes His rightful place as Lord, we will fall more in love
with Him and will want to please Him by obeying Him. It is in obedience
to Him out of love that produces a life of good works.
It is the good works that verifies a believer's salvation, makes him
or her the salt of the earth, the light of the world and brings glory
to God (Matthew 5:13-16; Ephesians 2:8-10).
What Have I Got Myself Into?
The question you might be asking right now is what have I got myself
into? You might be thinking all I was told to do was say a prayer and
I would be saved, but according to this information there is more. Let
me ask you, why did you get saved?
Most people get saved because they want more out of life. Granted,
many want to avoid eternal destruction but often people are tired of
the life they are presently living and realize the path they are on
is a dead end. In fact, their life has no meaning or purpose beyond
today with all of its demands. You heard and considered the message
that God had provided a way in which your life would not only be secure
for eternity but also would change and take on new meaning. Can you
honestly expect your life to change if your way of thinking, the direction
you are going and the lifestyle you have embraced remains as before?
It is also important at this point to realize that you can't bring
about the change I am talking about in your own power, but Jesus can
as your Lord. You see the beauty of having Jesus as our Lord is that
the only requirement on our part is to submit to His Lordship out of
love and obedience and He will work out all the details.
You might be saying that this sounds simple enough but what does it
mean to submit to Jesus? First of all Jesus has provided all the tools
you need to submit to Him.
He has given you the Holy Spirit who empowers you to submit to His
will and leads you into all truth about what it means to know and please
Him.
He has provided you with His Word that not only shows you what pleases
Him but also allows you to know Him in greater ways as you see into
His heart.
He has provided an access to the throne room of God where He can be
constantly consulted about everything through prayer.
He has made you a new creation or, in other words, given you a heart
that is towards Him. All you have to do is be true to your new heart,
obey what you know is right, study
His Word to get to know His will and way for your life and ask the
Holy Spirit to make Him more real to you each day. This is how you submit
and give way to the Lordship of Jesus (John 14:26,15:26-27; 16:7-14;
2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 4:14-16; 2 Corinthians 5:17).
There is also another valuable tool that must not be neglected to ensure
proper spiritual growth. This tool is fellowship.
You must be in fellowship with godly people who can speak into your
life concerning those things which are damaging or harmful, guide you
through the steps of growth and challenge you to keep on the narrow
path of truth as the world entices you to fall back into old or even
new traps. Ask the Lord to bring the right people to you or lead you
to a right church where you will be exposed to proper fellowship and
instruction.
After all, not all churches possess the truth and not all Christians
will have your best in mind. Trust your new Lord and Savior to work
out the details as you make a commitment to grow in the knowledge of
Him. He will not fail to do right by you (Proverbs 15:22; 1 Corinthians
15:33; Hebrews 10:25; 13:5).
