Chapter 1

Salvation

            There are many things that we, as Christians, have as ingredients of our destiny. The following thoughts are with reference to our destiny in association with salvation. What does it mean to be saved?  Saved from what? Are we in trouble and need to be rescued? Or perhaps it would be better to ask, saved to what? God told Israel that He brought them out to bring them in. God didn’t just save us from something awful that was to be our future. He brought us out of the evil destiny of eternal slavery for those going the way of the world (our Egypt) and into the Promised Land of walking in His Spirit. Just like there were giants in Israel’s Promised Land, there are giants in ours. Ours, however, are not always visible to the naked eye. Are we condemned to failure, or predestined to success? Just like Israel, the choice is up to us.      

We are Called/Chosen:

            As the Lord called, so walk:

1 Corinthians 7:17
17 Only, as the Lord hath distributed to each man, as God hath called each, so let him walk. And so ordain I in all the churches.

Romans 8:29-30
29 For whom he foreknew, he also foreordained to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren: 30 and whom he foreordained, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

            Notice that in Romans, God foreordained us to be conformed to the image of Jesus. We’re not going to get into what the Bible means by predestination. There are diverse opinions on that. We can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. God has a goal in mind for us … to become exactly like Jesus in the spirit realm. What God wants, we should allow Him to have. Don’t struggle against it. He wants people to see Jesus when they look at us and see our behavior. All of these areas in the verse end in “ed”. In God’s mind, they are already history … not going to happen someday. We can see that’s true for called and justified but not conformed and glorified. That’s kind of hard to swallow. Me, glorified? I certainly don’t look it or act it. Conformed to the image of Jesus? I don’t think so. Well, get with the program. As we abide persistently in Him and in His Word, we will become more and more like Jesus.

If you could hear God speak, I believe this is what He would say:

            "I have not called you to be like the world. I have called you to be like Me. I want My children to be like I am. When people see you, I want them to see how you look like Me. I would not have you be disobedient children. I would have you to follow in the footsteps of My Son. So walk in My obedience, and you will see many miracles happen in your life.”

            2. The Lord has called me into a glorious salvation. Therefore, I will walk worthy of this calling.