DEVOTIONAL: Past, Present, and Future
And he did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.
Imagine holding a winning lottery ticket worth millions of dollars, but not claiming what is rightfully yours. According to one article I read, it happens quite often. Someone beat the odds of 76,275,360 to 1 to win a jackpot of $46 million, but the prize went unclaimed. And in California, a $25 million prize was never collected.
God has a prize for us that is of greater value than millions and millions of dollars. It is called salvation. For some it is unclaimed, for others it is unused, and for many, it is unappreciated and perhaps somewhat unknown. But when we put our faith in Jesus Christ, the Bible is adamant in saying that we are saved. It is our present possession.
Salvation covers your past. When you are tempted to think that you are not worthy, that you don’t deserve salvation, you can be assured that God has forgiven you of all your sin. We base our salvation not on our feelings in the moment, but on the fact of what the Word of God says. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, those who listen to my message and believe in God who sent me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life” (John 5:24).
Salvation covers your present, because not only has God saved you, but He is saving you—saving you from the power and control of sin. In 2 Corinthians 1:10 we read that God “did rescue us from mortal danger, and he will rescue us again. We have placed our confidence in him, and he will continue to rescue us.”
Salvation covers your future as well, because God will deliver you from future judgment. Romans 5:9 says, “And since we have been made right in God’s sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God’s condemnation.”
Salvation means that God has saved you. God is saving you. And God will save you in the future.
