Dear Friends,

What if you knew, without any doubt, that you were going to win a $5 million lottery in July of this year? Would you worry about gasoline prices? Would you be concerned about your 401K plan? Would you be working all those extra hours so you can send your son to college? Would you lie awake at night thinking about the property taxes you have to pay? Probably not.

Why? You would know that all those things will be taken care of. The money is promised, it is sure, and you will soon have no financial worries.

Now, let’s translate that concept to spiritual matters – the most important spiritual matter there is – our eternal destiny.

If we knew, without any doubt (no matter how we spend today or tomorrow or the next day) that when we pass from this life into eternity we will be with Jesus forever, how will that affect the way we live today? Assurance that our eternal life is secure, it is certain, it is bought and paid for and promised by One who can never lie will change the way we think, feel, and live. And, here are areas where we will see ourselves change:

(1) Loving God: Once we know, really know, that God has made us His, we cannot help but love Him. Our confidence in our relationship with God will make us eager to express that love in worship and thankfulness.

(2) Enjoying life: The knowledge that our eternal relationship with God is secure adds enjoyment to all our earthly activities. A little pleasure becomes great when God is at our side. Or, as Puritan writer Thomas Watson says, “A dinner of green herbs, with the assurance of God’s love, is princely fare.”

(3) Pleasing Him: Security in our relationship with God will create in us an intense desire to please Him. We will be powerfully drawn to prayer, to the Bible, and to ways of serving Him. Again, from our Puritan friend, “Faith will make us walk, but assurance will make us run: we shall never think we can do enough for God.”

(4) Living right: Knowing we are God’s safe and secure children makes us able to stand against the temptations that will come our way. We will never want to do anything to hurt the One who loves us so much or to bring shame to the name of our Father in Heaven.

So, if assurance of our salvation is so important to our Christian life, how can we get it? What can we do to know for certain that we are Christ’s and are part of God’s eternal family? How can we get rid of the nagging doubts that make us wonder if we are really part of God’s family? Maybe we need to think about these questions:

(1) What do you think of Jesus? Do you acknowledge Him as God’s Son and as the only Savior, the One who died to take away your sins and justify you in the presence of God? Do you honor Him? Do you hold relationship with Him as the most precious thing in your life?

If so, you can be assured that you are part of God’s eternal family. If not, all you have to do is to acknowledge your inability to bridge the gap between you and God caused by sin. Then realize the significance of the work that Jesus did for you by dying on the cross and rising again from the grave. Tell God that you know that the only way to relationship with Him is through Jesus, thank Jesus for making this way available to you, and commit to allowing Him to be the Master of your life from this day forward.

Our eternal destiny and our sense of security stem entirely from our relationship with Jesus Christ. See Romans 6:21-23.

(2) Does your conscience trouble you? If we are engaging in sinful activity or holding onto sinful attitudes, our assurance of salvation will most certainly be shaken. If that is the case, we need to confess our sins and commit that, by the power of the Holy Spirit working in us, we will forsake them and walk in holiness with our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. See Hebrews 7:10 and I John 1:9-10.

(3) Do you spend time on developing your relationship with God? As we know, shaking hands with a friend at church on Sunday is very different than spending time with that person on a daily basis. A “handshake” relationship with God will likely result in a great deal of insecurity.

Instead, if we actively pursue a deeper relationship with Him by times of prayer, Bible reading, worship, and praise, all our doubts about how much He loves us and keeps us will disappear. See II Peter 1:5-11.

(4) Are you sensitive to the urgings of the Holy Spirit? As Christians, the Holy Spirit lives in each of us. He is there to reveal truth, to guide, to comfort, and to teach. But His is a very quiet voice. Therefore, we have to develop our ability to listen for Him and to hear Him clearly.

The times of quiet we spend in God’s word and in prayer are times when we can practice sensing the voice of the Spirit within us. When we respond to His nudges and obey His directions, we find that, over time, we become more and more aware of His involvement in our lives. When we are in touch with the Holy Spirit’s communication with us, we will never be in doubt about our relationship with God. We will know that we are His! See Ephesians 1:13-14.

(5) Are you participating in the family of God? Sometimes we don’t feel like we are God’s kids because we are not taking part in the family activities. Assurance will come if we attend church on Sundays, get involved in a small group or Bible study, cultivate spiritual friendships, and worship God with other believers. Being in a family means we have someone with whom we can talk about our Father, about the struggles of carrying His name, and about the joys that He gives. None of us is an only child. God wants us to get to know our brothers and sisters. See Hebrews 10:24-25.

So, what is the primary change will we see in our lives if we know, without any doubt, that we belong to God, that Jesus is our Savior and brother, and that the Holy Spirit lives in us to guide, reveal, and comfort?

We will live with confidence. Nothing can take us out of the loving hands of our heavenly Father. The struggles of this life are far less significant and far less disturbing when we know the biggest issue of all has been settled for good. We belong to God.

Paul sums it up for us masterfully in II Corinthians 4:16-18. Here’s how it reads in The Message:

“So we’re not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever.”

So, for you today, my friends, I pray for joy in today’s journey as we look forward to an eternity of celebration! Because we belong to Jesus, it’s a sure thing.

Bev

P.S. If you know of others who would enjoy receiving this newsletter each month, please encourage them to visit my website (www.beverlyvankampen.com), click on the newsletter icon, and enter their e-mail address. I would love to add them to our circle of friends.