“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 will snatch them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28
There were a few points in the Easter message at my church a few weeks ago that have still been clinging to my gray matter. It’s been a while and I am surprised that they are still there. The above verse came up yesterday and it paired well with the one about the Good Shepherd.
Like any loving father, our Heavenly Father doesn’t want to lose any of His children. And there are hordes of evil forces in the world today that would like to try to hurt his children. Why? Because if they think that if they can hurt God’s children, then they can hurt God. When Christ rose from the dead, He defeated satan; game over. The devil and the vodou priest have nothing more to do than try to pick up a few lost sheep.
From my view, it is common for a few people who want to give their lives to Christ to be afraid they won’t be able to keep that commitment. They say, “There are so many temptations in my life, I’m doubting that I can keep myself saved.” But just as you can’t save yourself from your sins, you can’t keep yourself saved. That is Jesus’ job and He has this covered. He has made sure that no matter what happens in your life, your salvation is secure. He has ensured that you will make it safely to heaven to live with Him forever.
There may be times when His sheep want to go astray and let go of their Shepherd’s hand, but He will never let go. That’s called ‘eternal security’, and it’s Jesus’ job, not yours. This is what Jesus is doing in this sinful world right now: He is safeguarding your salvation. He’s protecting the salvation of everybody who are a member of Christ’s flock…by faith.
Dear Heavenly Father, you have called your servants to ventures of which we cannot see the ending, by paths as yet untrodden, through perils unknown. Give us faith to go out with good courage, not knowing where we go but only that your hand is leading us and your love supporting us through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior. Amen.
May God be with you,
Jay