God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.

• Ephesians 2:8-9 (New Living Translation)

“In Germany I once met a woman who told me that 42 years prior, she had committed a terrible sin and since then had prayed every day for forgiveness. She did not know that the sin problem was solved at Calvary’s cross. I have met many people on my journeys who have similar stories. Faith is a problem for them because they do not yet know the Lord or the truth contained in His Word. Theirs is a torturous saga until they learn of the power of redemption. Once they do, their entire way of living changes for the better. Truth has the power to set everyone free.”

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place

I am no longer an outsider, begging for mercy, hoping and praying that God hears me. I am in Christ, and this is where my victory is found!

• Corrie ten Boom, Highlighted Quote

Boilerplate

In this new mini-series, I will be looking at a devotion that is said to be written by Corrie ten Boom.  Really, this devotion is like several that I had read.  They come from the writings of that person.  Thus, the prayers at the end may be the editor’s addition to what Corrie ten Boom actually wrote.

Each of these posts will include the suggested verses to read, a quote from the writing that came from a Corrie ten Boom book (five in all according to the copyright page, but no chapter in the book is given the specific book of origin).  I will also include the highlighted quote, similar to an internet quotation, and I will end with the quoted prayer for that devotion.

Discussion

It is strange that so many people reject the message.  And it is even stranger that many pastors and evangelists misguide people.

I heard one pastor, in a panel discussion, say that we say that salvation is free because you cannot earn it by works and you cannot buy it, but we misguide people.  Truly to have a life-giving relationship with Jesus, it costs you everything.  We put our heart, at least our heart’s desires, at Jesus’ feet, and we follow Him wherever He might lead us.

But that entire concept of not being able to purchase salvation or work toward salvation flies in the face of how the world works.

The world has three models.  You may think of other models, or blends within these three.  But if these are simply the leading models, it shows the resistance of most people who cannot understand how God’s plan works.

First: There are a variety of organizations that have set criteria to get the promotion.  Scouting is like that.  You do the printed and clearly understood requirements.  You go before a board of review so that the one that is up for promotion can talk about what they did – in other words, did the boy do it or did Dad do it?  Then, you obtain the higher rank if the board finds that you did enough of the work.  This is highly objective.  You check all the boxes and there is no rejection due to any subjective ideas.

Second: A totally subjective viewpoint would be a popularity contest.  The boss promotes whoever he feels like promoting.  This might even include someone who is clearly better qualified not getting the promotion.  This may result in a smear campaign to make others think that the boss has thought of all angles before picking his pet.  And yes, I have been the victim of smear campaigns.  But in a way, I should praise God, knowing that they used a smear tactic against me – which tells everyone who knew it was a smear that I was a threat to their choice.

Third: The military, and a lot of civilian companies, have a blend of the two.  There is a certain amount of “dues paying.”  In the military, an officer does not get to a commander position unless they have led a smaller group of people successfully – the successfully might be objective or subjective or both.  Then, to reach a field grade promotion, the officer must be successful as a commander.  Yet, since there are tons of people to choose between, the popularity or stature of the commander gets points here and there, all subjective, to slide someone up the list and others down on the list.  In this method, someone who paid his or her dues in one organization can get transferred to another group that has a different list of “dues paying” things to do.  Then, because the person is experienced, they are never given those assignments, thus they can never achieve the “dues paying” requirements.  And yes, that happened to me also.  So, it becomes a subjective decision that leads to achieving the objective portions of the requirements.  And any subjective decision can be influenced by money or like one boss that I had, managing the plant manager’s golf tournament.  But in this blended system, the management prides itself on the objective standards, but each of those standards can be manipulated subjectively.

All that being said, all three ways of getting ahead can be achieved by bribery, knowing the right people, or working off a checklist of things that are required.

Then God says that we cannot buy salvation.  We cannot earn salvation.  It requires faith, and God even says that the faith is a gift.  In earthly terms then, it is impossible for us.

But nothing is impossible for God.  God knows our heart.  When we surrender our will to His will, He knows whether that is an “All In” moment for us.  God knows if the surrender was unconditional or did we hold back some things.  Note: We can take nothing with us to the next life, and holding onto things of this world shows that we did not understand what God was saying to us.

So, it comes down to us not doing anything to deserve the love God gives us.  And we trust that God’s plan is better than anything we could come up with on our own.

And in the process, we go against the world’s idea of getting the prize that is beyond all measure.

Closing Prayer

Father, I am eternally grateful for Your gift of salvation, which You have so graciously bestowed. Thank You for washing me and drawing me close. The victory of Your love has set me free. Your nearness is my heart’s desire. With the strength You have given me, I will honor You for all my days. And I will worship You, for I am Your child-beloved, accepted and courageous. I set myself apart for Your holy purposes.
In the name of Jesus, I pray.  Amen.

• Corrie ten Boom, God is my Hiding Place (prayer for Day 1, Victory is Found in Him)

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.