A Nugget from New Life Network
Scripture for the Day (July 20, 2018)
Salvation belongeth unto the Lord. Thy blessing is upon Thy people. Selah (Psalm 3:8)
The fact that salvation belongs to the Lord is a powerful truth that we all need to never forget. It is so powerful that it was one of the keys in Jonah’s prayer that convinced God to raise him from the dead.
But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land. (Jonah 2:9-10)
We are so accustomed to making first impressions and judging people based on outward appearances. God does not do that. He looks at the hearts. He does not want any to perish and as a result He makes choices that you and I would not make.
For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; (1 Corinthians 1:26-27)
Would you have chosen Moses who was a stutterer and murderer? Would you have chosen a young shepherd boy named David to be a King? Would you have chosen a Samaritan woman that had been divorced five times to start a revival? Would you have chosen a Pharisee named Paul that persecuted followers of Jesus to reach the Gentiles? More than that, would you have chosen you???
We just need to remember that we are just messengers. We are not God, and we are not the choosers. We don’t have the authority to exclude anyone from the Kingdom of God based on any kind of outward appearance or whether or not we think that person is worthy. When we do that we become a candidate for the belly of the whale like Jonah. We get sidelined (like Jonah) until we can come back to God, humble ourselves, and say, salvation belongs to you.
A great example of how to do this thing right is Ananias in the Book of Acts. We can all learn a lot from Ananias who did just the opposite of Jonah.
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem: And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. (Acts 9:10-18)
