SalvationSample

The Joy of Salvation

A dear family friend recently passed away and at her celebration service I was struck by two things. The first was that, while we were all extremely sad at her loss, it was definitely a celebration. We were all wearing bright colours, which reflected so much about her. She had a certain hope! She knew where she was headed after death, and even in the final stages of her illness, she was eagerly looking forward to being with Jesus. Her salvation was sure, founded in forgiveness in Christ. What a challenge to see how her salvation changed perspective on that day.

And the second thing was comments about a life ‘well-lived’ because of how strikingly full of love, joy and hope she was. Her salvation didn’t just impact her life after death, but also impacted people every day around her for good. She connected in a way that each person felt important and loved in her presence. Her joy was infectious. The preacher pointed out this had to come from somewhere: from Jesus. She was genuinely reflecting His love, joy and hope to those in her sphere, showing them the salvation she had received and pointing a way for them to join her in knowing this Jesus who loved them too.

Do you have a certain hope? And does your salvation impact the way you live so that others can’t help but see Jesus shining through your life?

Written by JODIE WILLIAMS