INSURED BY THE GOD OF HEAVEN -- Devotional for July 13, from "Good Seeds"

Blessed be the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who, according to His great mercy, has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. (I Peter 1:3-5)

Here we read one of the clearest and best explanations of salvation found anywhere in the Bible – and this from a simple fisherman! Why does God save us at all? Well, because we’re lost, of course. But that’s not the answer Peter gives. There’s a bigger reason, rooted not in man’s need, but in God’s nature. It is not primarily because we are sinners by nature, but because He is a Savior by nature. Our salvation is rooted in the rich soil of His mercy. Therein lies the foundation for regeneration – for our new life in Christ. Once saved, we have “living hope” - the confident assurance that we will live again, even after we die. We know this is what Peter meant, by what he said next: “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” Our salvation is first motivated by God’s loving kindness toward us, but then it is energized by God’s power in raising His Son from the dead. Peter has been explaining salvation, but now he starts extolling it, like a salesman singing the praises of his product: It is an inheritance that is totally safe and secure (reserved in heaven for you); it cannot be destroyed (it is imperishable); it cannot be defiled (it has no expiration date), and will never lose its luster and beauty (cannot fade away). Years ago when I was shopping for health insurance, one company assured me that if it runs out of money to cover my legitimate needs, it also is insured, by Lloyds of London, no less. That sold me, and I signed up. But Peter says God’s insurance policy is far more secure than that: “You are protected by the very power of God, and when the time comes to make your claim, you’re covered, and you’ll be paid in full." All we need to do is buy the policy – that is, somehow we must latch onto this salvation and make it ours. it can’t be bought with money, of course, or by any effort on our part whatsoever. As we take a closer look at these verses, we see that everything that is being done is being done by God. But that doesn’t mean we are passive bystanders. No, we have a part to play. We must in some way attach our name to our heavenly insurance policy. How do we do this? Simply by believing in God, and trusting that what He has done for us is all we need. We are protected and fully insured of a "home in gloryland: - not by the promises of Lloyds of London, but by the power of God in Heaven.
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