(All scripture from the World English Bible, ebible.org, all rights reserved)
““Therefore I will scatter them
as the stubble that passes away
by the wind of the wilderness.
This is your lot,
the portion measured to you from me,” says Yahweh,
“because you have forgotten me,
and trusted in falsehood.”
Therefore I will also uncover your skirts on your face,
and your shame will appear.
I have seen your abominations, even your adulteries
and your neighing, the lewdness of your prostitution,
on the hills in the field.
Woe to you, Jerusalem!
You will not be made clean.
How long will it yet be?””
(Jeremiah 13:24-27)
“God, having in the past spoken to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, has at the end of these days spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds. His Son is the radiance of his glory, the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, who, when he had by himself purified us of our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much better than the angels as the more excellent name he has inherited is better than theirs.”
(Hebrews 1:1-4)
The Lord left nothing to guesswork. He told His people EXACTLY what they had done wrong. They had betrayed the covenant He had made with them when He took them out of Egypt (Jeremiah 11:2-5). Because of what they had chosen, judgment was coming their way. God wanted to be clear. It was not what HE wanted. It was what THEY were choosing. God is a just God. Why would He keep a people in His Land that broke covenant with Him and consistently chose rebellion? The most stinging rebuke is Jeremiah 11:15 (CJB) “What right does my beloved have to be in my house, when she has behaved so shamelessly with so many? Offerings of consecrated meat can no longer help, because it is when you are doing evil that you are happy.” God was not happy with them. He was full of sorrow, as was Jeremiah. God’s question is when they would choose Him. When would they ALLOW themselves to choose righteousness? Salvation? To enter into and keep covenant with Him?
Jesus came to open the Way so that we could do just that. Jesus was the sacrifice. Jesus as the Son, as a human, made covenant with the Father. In and through Jesus we can enter into the covenant. We can keep that covenant by keeping fellowship with Jesus. By staying connected to Him. Jesus gives us the opportunity to choose righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus gives us the opportunity to choose salvation – an on-going process, not a one-time choice (1 John 1:7). Jesus gives us the opportunity to enter into covenant with the Father and keep that covenant (Luke 22:19; John 14:15). The question is whether we will allow ourselves to take the opportunities Jesus gives us. Will we align with Him or will we insist on our own way?
Summary
Salvation isn’t one and done. It is a walk. It is a journey. It is a series of choices made on a daily basis. It is choosing God instead of choosing ourselves or someone else. It is the decision to do what He says is good, not what we think is good. It is the decision to rely on Him, instead of trusting our own efforts. It is the decision to pause before speaking, in order to align our words with His. In and through Jesus this is possible. It is doable. It is achievable. If we rely on His strength, His Fruit by growing it in our own hearts, and study the Word so that we understand His point of view and His moral character. We can do this, because Jesus is in us to help us. Holy Spirit is in us to guide and correct us. The Father is providing life to us and everything we need. If we rely on Him, keep our eyes on Him, then we CAN live out the salvation that He shows us every single day (Psalm 91).
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