
O what a foretaste of glory divine!
Heir of salvation, purchase of God,
born of his Spirit, washed in his blood.
-From the hymn Blessed Assurance, words by Fanny Crosby
Music by Phoebe Knapp, 1873
In a modern world so full of pain and suffering and with many turning from goodness and light and instead focusing on greed and self-centered gratifications, it is easy to get discouraged. But we Christians know that with the gift of free will often comes evil when bad choices are made. So finding this beautiful hymn as a selection for our service at church yesterday brightened me greatly.
No matter how bad things might actually be or seem, we can be assured that our future will be a glorious one if only we seek out our Lord and Savior. He has the power to turn our life around as nothing else can for He offers us the gift of salvation. All we have to do is ask Him for forgiveness and put our lives in His hands and we can be assured that our future will be blessed beyond imagination.
Now he doesn't promise us that life on this earth will then become easy, actually He promises quite the opposite. But remember suffering brings perseverance and perseverance brings character and God and His Son desire us to have the character that He possesses even though we are just mortal, not a God. So what does He promise us?
He promises us His love and devotion and the strength that it takes to live life for Him and in Him. And if we openly and honestly do this, he promises us life everlasting, seated with God the Father and Jesus His son and with the Holy Spirit infecting our heart with love and warmth for eternity.
What could be more assuring than that? The answer is that there is absolutely nothing else that could do that. But remember, the offer is there for the taking only as long as we make the commitment before we die an earthly life. Doesn't it make sense to make the commitment while we can? It's a choice for each of us and one which each of us must make on our own. There is no "group think" on this one although there are those who can encourage and help us find the right answer. But ultimately, it comes from our individual hearts.
God awaits eagerly. He is always ready for a new member of his faithful flock. Don't delay, follow Him today. A wiser decision cannot be made. God bless you all.