Clothesline 250 "Grace and Salvation"

Have you ever thought about the fact that Jesus isn’t selective about those whom he loves and those whom he wants to save? There is a story of a man who used to pass the time in an airport, looking at each person, and asking himself, “Did Jesus die for that person?” Then he would expand his gaze and look around for the oddest person he could find, and again think: “Did Jesus die for him, too?” And finally, he ends his thinking by sharing with a friend sitting next to him, “It’s my little discipline to see just how much I can swallow of the expansive nature of Jesus Christ without choking!” How true that is! The unconditional love of God and the gift of salvation expands beyond anything we could possibly understanding.

The Book of Revelation tells us about the great multitude that will have a place in heaven, an ever-expanding number of persons who will be saved. God is so wonderful, so all-inclusive, that we will never grasp the depth of his love for his children. Heaven will be a place where there is no hunger or thirst, where God will be on His throne, and we will worship him night and day, in joy and happiness.

And while I look forward to heaven, that kind of happiness speaks to me in a special way today, because tomorrow, my husband Joel and I are celebrating our fourteenth wedding anniversary, and there isn’t enough time to recount how grateful I feel to have found a Godly man with whom to spend the remainder of my life. (You received this Clothesline today because we will be away tomorrow.)

On a day when I bask in that special love—human and divine—given to me, unworthy as I am, I challenge you to look at your life, where God has led you, and thank him for all that he has given you. If you are happy, rejoice in your blessings. If you are in a place of turmoil, know that this time is an opportunity for growth, that God is walking this road with you, and that he has special plans for you.

We can never understand the extensive love of Almighty God, but we don’t have to understand. We will never understand how Jesus’ life, death and Resurrection could give us, and all mankind, a ticket to heaven—us, sinners, unworthy of such amazing love, but we don’t have to understand. It’s called grace and salvation. And my prayer for you is that you will walk that special road with God and, if it be His will, also another person of faith. It’s called amazing love, amazing grace!