“Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.”
Romans 13:11
It’s true. My salvation is so much dearer, sweeter and nearer to me than when I first believed as a teenager. I appreciated what Jesus had done when I was new in the faith, but I never considered Him… precious. Only old hymn writers spoke of Him as precious! Now I am old. And Jesus is my true Friend, my Fortress when I am frightened, my Beloved when I give Him praise, my Righteousness when I have sinned, the Shepherd who seeks me when I’ve gone astray.
How did Jesus become so precious to me? I look at it this way: today is the first day of the rest of my salvation! The Christian idea of salvation involves the past, present, and future. Ephesians 2:8 says “By grace you have been saved through faith.” First Corinthians 1:18 explains that “the Gospel is the power of God to us who are being saved.” Romans 13:11 says “Salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed.” We have been saved. We are being saved. And we will be saved. At every stage we are saved by the death of Christ. In the past, our sins were paid for by Christ on the cross. In the present, the death of Jesus secures the power of God’s Spirit to save us from the domination of sin. And in the future, it will be the blood of Christ that saves us from the wrath of God and ushers us in to perfection and joy eternal.
As the old Gospel song goes, “Every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before!” Grasp the sweetness of all that the death of Christ purchased for you in the past, present, and future. Today, get actively engaged in your present salvation, and praise the Lord that you will be saved from the wrath to come.
Precious Jesus, I humbly bow before You, thanking You for all that Your death on the cross purchased for me — I want to honor You by obeying You today.
