On Joy

I've been catching up on my "Living Beyond Yourself" homework (Beth Moore) for Renew. I missed a bunch while I was sick, so now I'm trying to get a few lessons done each day.

JOY:
Today's study was about joy, specifically the joy that comes from knowing our names are written in Heaven. Wow. Beth Moore emphasizes that salvation belongs to God. I never really thought about the significance of that until today. "Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne..." (Revelation 7:10). Why is it important that salvation belongs to God and not to us? Because it is His gift to us. If it didn't belong to Him, then He wouldn't be able to give it to us. "It is a gift of GRACE that we have the privilege to accept." (Beth Moore)

Beth also states that "recognizing that salvation belongs to Christ helps to get us out of ourselves." How often do I focus on me, me, me? It's not about me!

SALVATION:
Here's another other sobering thought from Beth based on 2 Peter 3:3 - 7: "A moment will come, at the ushering in of eternity, when every lost man and woman will be confronted with the staggering loss of his or her salvation... The lost will suffer a horrible threefold realization: they will realize that He is LORD, that they are LOST and that it's too LATE."

That certainly puts things into perspective. Why do I worry about "offending" people by sharing the gospel with them? This life is but a breath. Eternity is forever. Do I want the guilt on my conscience of knowing some of my friends and family could be facing an eternity without the Lord just because I'm afraid of offending them? The joy they could have of knowing their names are written in the Book of Life pales in comparison to my discomfort. Again, it's not about me!