But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with a voice of thanksgiving. I will fulfill what I have vowed. Salvation is from the Lord!
Jonah 2:9 (HCSB)
The true sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and humble heart (Psalm 51:17).
As Christians, we vow our lives to the service of God. We do this in baptism. We do this when we reaffirm our baptism vows. We do this when we are confirmed. We do this each time we repent and turn again to God. We vow to follow Jesus wherever that may lead us. We vow to reject Satan and the works of the Devil. We vow to hate evil in all its many forms. We vow to dedicate our lives and our hearts to Jesus. We vow to seek the filling and leading of the Holy Spirit.
But why? Why do we do these things? Because we know that “salvation is from the Lord.” Salvation is from Jesus. It is a wonderful gift of God, and it both deserves and asks for us to give our all for Him who offers it. We can never repay God for the gift of grace, the gift of salvation. We can give our lives to always praising Him and thanking Him for it. This is an important truth.
Often sin can so overwhelm us with a sense of unworthiness that we question if we are really ‘saved’. But this is just us falling back into thinking we are saved by our ‘being good enough’ and our ‘trying hard enough’. Salvation is not only found in Jesus alone, but it is from Him alone. If He writes our names in the Book of Life, we cannot erase it from that hallowed tome. He will send His Holy Spirit to change our hearts, to bring us back to Him: “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish—ever! No one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. The Father and I are one” (John 10:27-29).
Rest assured that, if your conscience condemns you and you feel the need to repent to Jesus for your sins, you are one of His sheep. You are safe in the hands of the God who is greater than all! Accept His mercy, be washed in the blood of Jesus, and give thanks once more for salvation is from the Lord!
