SALVATION JOURNEY (II)

Pr. Geoffrey Kibombo

John 10:10 (AMP)

“I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].”

The day you became born again (John 3), you embarked on a journey which has brought you to a certain point forth; this means that there is a defined destination we are moving towards, and we thank God for the journey we have trekked so far because irrespective of the challenges met along the way the destination is filled with goodness and eternal life!

Living Things 
One of the characteristics of living things is growth! Jesus said John 10:10 (AMP) that; “………..I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance [to the full, till it overflows].” The Salvation journey you embarked on is full of abundant life; everything that is rooted in Christ has the potential to grow and excel; as you gradually grow in knowing Christ, your faith, wisdom and revelation grows as well. Everything in your life - both spiritual and personal life will grow, but the devil tries to make you believe otherwise; he is always skimming to hinder your growth, but be encouraged because everything that is embedded in Jesus has life. Where you are currently is far from where you were a decade ago so the devil should not cause you to believe that you will not make it past that level! The bible says in Zechariah 4:10 (TLB) “Do not despise this small beginning, for the eyes of the Lord rejoice to see the work begin.........”

Salvation is a journey – an expedition we take along the roads and seasons of growth, opportunity and experience. The Salvation journey is neither straight nor wide nor smooth – at least not for very long! A road that leads up to a mountaintop or summit is twisted; you can’t see very far ahead because the road bends and twists with steep and narrow paths. At times you need to stop for rest in order to regain the strength before you continue; but this journey is for the relentless faithful believers who understand that their life has a purpose that unfolds along the way, and the higher they trek, the better the perspective. A life in Christ has new roads of purpose and vision; and new rivers of life and provision along the way; for roads of faith always lead to rivers of blessing. The bible says in Isaiah 43:19 (TLB) that; “For I’m going to do a brand-new thing. see, I have already begun! Don’t you see it? I will make a road through the wilderness of the world for my people to go home, and create rivers for them in the desert!”

A Lesson From The Mustard Seed!

The devil deceitfully causes you to think that you will not achieve anything with the little faith you have, but be assured that everything in salvation grows from one level to another level. Luke 17:5-6 (NLT) teaches; “The apostles said to the Lord, “Show us how to increase our faith.” 6 The Lord answered, “If you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘May you be uprooted and thrown into the sea,’ and it would obey you!”

As long as you have faith in Christ, never mind about the small beginnings - for they will grow in due time and bear branches. The bible says in John 17:3 (TLB) “And this is the way to have eternal life—by knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth!” To have eternal life, you need to understand the one true God and Jesus whom He sent - that is the core and fuel of the salvation journey.

We learn from the mustard seed that life is embedded in a seed. People may despise your small beginnings but do not entertain words that discourage your heart; because as long as you are in Christ and standing right with him, you will never be a failure but a victor - many discouraging words have been spoken to disappoint us, but whatever is authored by God is victorious. The bible says in 1 John 5:4 (NKJV) that; “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world – our faith” 

Do not despise small beginnings as long as they are rooted in Christ - faith activated overcomes the world; it brings victory. Even though you are not yet where you want to be, when you assess your life, you will see a positive shift, for God takes you step by step not leap by leap - the salvation journey is about stability and swiftness not speed; that is why the bible says in Psalms 37:23 (TLB) that; “The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take.” For everything that has started in your life, no matter the size, it will grow, be fruitful and bear branches, so take heart. The interesting part is that the very people who despise you are the same that God will use to testify on your behalf - speak about how God has blessed your life.

Guard Your Heart

If you believe you have life within you, do not consider what those around you are saying; in other words, do not let what your eyes see determine what your heart believe. When David was inquiring about the prize to be given to the man who kills Goliath, he got a mean-despising response from his brother, but he ignored the negativity and pressed on. 1 Samuel 17:28 (MSG) says; “Eliab, his older brother, heard David fraternizing with the men and lost his temper: “What are you doing here! Why aren’t you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you’re up to. You’ve come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!”

The devil is looking for your heart; every bad and discouraging word targets the heart and we also know that out of the heart springs the issues of life (Prov 4:23). Every bad word that comes out of someone to discourage you is targeting your heart, thus the need to always guard the heart against the arrows of words. Many people fail or succeed in life because of the people surrounding them and, the things they see and hear; and for you to reach the destination of this journey, you have got to guard your heart from the poison of this world.

This is Life Eternal

1 John 5:11-12 (NLT)

“And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. 12 Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life”

Most people do not have abundant everlasting life; its only those that have chosen Christ (the Son) as their Lord and Saviour with that privilege (of eternal life). And it all starts with making a choice - for God gave us the right to choose; He will never make a choice for you. God will provide preferences to make decisions but he will not make a choice for you. Deuteronomy 30:15 (NLT) says; “Now listen! Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster”. For what you are today, you made a decision whether you were aware or not and for that reason, you cannot hold anyone responsible! Learn to make wise decisions so that you can guard the life within you - salvation. Therefore, diligently guard your heart by surrounding yourself with people and scenarios that will help you preserve the life within you. The gospel helps you to guard the life within; the songs you listen to, books you read and TV programs you watch all have a great impact on the life within. 

Life in abundance and eternal life is all found in knowing the one true God and accepting His son - Jesus.

Choose to have life!