“Salvation”

What comes to mind when you hear or read the word “salvation?”  If you think the word simply means being saved from hell, I have good news for you; it means that and more!  Faith in Jesus certainly does save us from hell but the word salvation has a much broader meaning than our end of life destination.  Salvation is the message of the gospel, and the message of the gospel is life!  It is sin that gets in the way of life, so sin has to be dealt with, but salvation has so much more to do with life—everyday life, than we often acknowledge.  If you are saved, it is possible you could be neglecting your salvation?  The writer of Hebrews certainly believed in that possibility.  What would it look like for a believer to neglect salvation?  For starters, it would look like contempt, anger, selfishness, hatred, animosity, fiery speech and a darkened heart.  Jesus not only wants to save us from hell, He wants to save us from all that!  Some of us remember a hymn with this line, “Heaven came down and glory filled my soul.”  Among other things that means that there are parts of Heaven we can have now—we should claim them.  This will take effort.  We will have to be like Joshua and company, we’ll have to take the land the Lord has given to us.  And, just because you once had it, doesn’t mean you can’t lose it.  I don’t mean your place in Heaven, I mean the place of Heaven in your heart.  Believers “drift away” every day.  They fail to pay attention to the resources available to them.  There are many distractions, and many disappointments that can push people to the brink.  Jesus longs to step into that mess and deliver/save the one who will trust and obey.  Take a wider look at salvation, it means more than you think.