Topic: Secure in the Father’s Hand [Joseph Prince Devotional 27 August 2021]
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Secure in the Father’s Hand
“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”
John 10:27–30
My friend, if you don’t feel assured of your salvation in Christ, it will affect how you live life as a Christian. This is why I want to encourage you to be anchored on certain and clear passages—like the one found in today’s scripture.
Now, doesn’t simply reading this promise in God’s Word impart to you confidence, assurance, and security in your salvation in Christ? Let me draw your attention to the word “never.” This is going to bless you. The word “never” here is translated from the Greek particle ou me, which is a double negative, strongly emphasizing the meaning of “never, certainly not, not at all, by no means.” In other words, once you are saved, you will never, by no means, ever perish!
When people cast doubt on a believer’s salvation, it reveals how they do not accurately value the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. They are also making light of what our Lord Jesus suffered at Calvary for our salvation, forgiveness, and redemption. I don’t know what Bible they are reading, but my Bible tells me in no uncertain terms that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). My Bible tells me that “no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29). My Bible tells me, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That’s what my Bible says!
When we have the assurance of salvation and know that nothing can pluck us out of our Father’s hand, contrary to the saying that this gives people a license to sin with no regard for God, it actually gives us confidence and strength to look to the Lord, to run the race better, and go from glory to glory. Christians who are secure in the Father’s love will be transformed by the renewing of their minds with the power of God’s amazing grace. I believe with all my heart that born-again believers established in His grace want to live lives that glorify His holy name in every area of their lives. Why? Because grace isn’t a teaching, doctrine, or formula. Grace is a person and His name is Jesus!
That is why I like to use the phrase, “the person of Jesus.” Grace is personified in our Lord Jesus. You can relate to Him as a person. You can talk to Him, hang out with Him, share with Him your struggles and your challenges, and have really good, honest, and deep conversations with Him. Once you see our Lord Jesus as a person, and you see all His beauty, glory, grace, love, and forgiveness, there is no way you would want to live a lifestyle that does not glorify His holy name. When you value Jesus in your life, you value His glory.
I want to invite you to meditate on this powerful scripture:
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
—Titus 2:11–14
Now, that’s the result of being under grace and that is what it means to be a part of the grace revolution! As we behold the person of Jesus, grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and we become a people zealous for the glory of our Lord Jesus in our lives and “zealous for good works”!