Weekly Devotional 01/20/08
Current mood: blessed

God's Loving Desire 1 Timothy 2:1-6
 Throughout the New Testament, we see God's universal call to salvation repeated a number of times (John 1:12; 3:16; 6:40; 2 Peter 3:9). But each one of us must make a personal decision about answering Him. Why does God want mankind saved? First, He loves us (Ephesians 2:4). It's important to realize that divine love isn't based on any worthiness in us; rather, care for His creation is part of God's nature. Another reason is that as His followers, we become "trophies" of the Lord's grace (Ephesians 2:7). Believers were once rebellious beings, whom God transformed into obedient servants--that's a change He wants to celebrate for eternity. Finally, our good works glorify the Lord (Matthew 5:16). Everything we do in His name increases other people's awareness of Him. Salvation is possible only through Christ, who reconciles sinful people to holy God. Isaiah 53:6 teaches that every one of us is a sinner, and Romans 6:23 adds, "The wages of sin is death." Without a divine solution, we'd be indebted and hopeless. But the Savior's death on the cross paid the penalty for all humanity so anyone who wants a relationship with the Father can have one. Believing Jesus died for our sins and submitting to the Lord's will are all that's necessary for us to enter into eternal fellowship with Him. God loves us and wants to be with us forever. The only thing that can separate us from Him is a decision to reject His invitation. Once we are His, no human action or character flaw is able to sever our relationship with Him.