Morning Devotionals

by Don Emmitte

 

April 17th, 2008

 

"Never Lost"

Jesus said, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father's hand. I and the Father are one." (John 10:27-30 NIV).

I’ve always thought the experience of Noah and the ark is one of the best illustrations of salvation and eternal security in the Scripture. Noah preached for 80 years while building the ark before the flood actually began. In all that time I’m sure there were those who heard his message but simply didn’t believe such and event was possible. However, when the rain did begin and God shut the door on the ark, securing Noah, his family, and the animals within, no one could break in and steal them away. They were secure from the floods.

Sometimes I think we forget that when we are born again through faith in Christ and his work of grace is applied to us, we ARE secure. We will make mistakes, but we are secure within Christ. I read a story about a new young partner in a law firm. The senior partners had set extremely high standards and had coached him carefully. He did well in some minor trials but he lost his first big case. When the partners reviewed the trial, they pointed out his errors and suggested different strategies. Even with all their critique, he lost the next big one. He felt terrible. Were they ready to give him the boot? Then one of the partners took him aside. “Look,” he said, “you’re learning. Just keep going. You’ll start winning. Meanwhile, your position is secure. You’re one of us.” Those words were exactly what he needed to hear.

Have you ever experienced this kind of compassion when you were feeling hopeless? If we’re believers, we have. The Lord has taken us aside and said, “Yeah, you’ve made some mistakes, but don’t worry — your position is secure. Learn from your mistake, but know that God has provided your security today. Rest assured in Him — and be sure to convey that same kind of compassion to struggling siblings in the faith. All of us need to be reassured once in a while.

Oh, one other word is important. There weren’t any pegs on the outside of Noah’s ark. I thin sometimes there are people who think that if they just hang on to the “pegs” of religion they will somehow survive the coming judgment. You won’t. Just as everyone who was outside of the protection of God’s ark in that day perished, so everyone who is outside the protection of Christ’s work of grace will also perish. The door is not yet shut. If you are still outside, come on in. You won’t regret it now or then!