READING: 1 Chronicles 7-9, John 6:22-44
“. . . the one who comes to Me I will never cast out.”
John 6:37
God saved me when I was thirteen years old. Since then – now 43 years ago – I have never once doubted my salvation. I haven’t always walked with God like I should, and I’ve suffered His discipline at times for my decisions and actions – but I’ve never wondered whether I was a Christian. To be honest, though, for many years I based my security solely in the fact that I made that decision in 1974. Now, I know that my security is based in God’s commitment to me rather than my commitment to Him.
Jesus was actually quite clear about that fact: “Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never cast out. For I have come down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me. This is the will of Him who sent Me: that I should lose none of those He has given Me but should raise them up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father: that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:37-40). There is so much here that it’s almost mind-boggling. First, we who are believers are actually gifts from the Father to the Son. We must believe in response to the gospel (v. 40), but the Father thus gives us to the Son who died in our place. Jesus will hold on to us and lose none of us; the life He gives us is indeed eternal. For that reason, He will raise us in resurrection to life everlasting as He fulfills the Father’s purposes.
I suppose we could read these words and not worry much about how we live after believing in Jesus, but the words take me in exactly the opposite direction. It’s amazing to me that I am a gift to the Son, especially when I think of the sin in my life. I did not learn to follow Jesus quickly after my conversion, and I struggled during my teen years. Learning to read the Word regularly took some time. I’ve not always been as evangelistic as I could be. Every day, I realize I’m still learning how to love Pam as Christ loves the church. So, I still have a long way to go in my walk with God – but I’m a gift from the Father to the Son. That truth, though, doesn’t grant me permission to ignore how I live; rather, it motivates me to strive for greater faithfulness and obedience. Christ keeps me secure in Him, so I want to please Him.
I want to be a good gift from the Father to the Son.
ACTION STEPS:
- Give yourself fully to God today. Be a pleasing gift to the Son.
- Pray for some non-believers by name, asking the Father to give them to the Son.
PRAYER: “God, I praise You that my security rests in You rather than in me. Thank You for holding me in Your hand.”
TOMORROW’S READING: 1 Chronicles 10-12, John 6:45-71