Priorities!

Priorities!

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. Romans 1:16 KJV

It has to be emphasised again what the power of personal experience is. There are men who hold on to the words of men, who plan their lives based on the promises of other men like themselves. There is no personal experience of God; no testimony about God or his imprint on a man's life. How can I testify and be able to stand by my beliefs if I do not know on what they are based? How can I defend and define my beliefs if I do not know how they are inspired? What is going on in the world today has made it very clear that the absence of an anchor for my soul is dangerous. I cannot afford to drift through life, unsure of who God is, what he has made me to accomplish and how he wants me to work it out. 

Paul had a personal encounter with this God. That experience stayed with him all through his earthly ministry. He knew and understood the power behind the good news of Jesus Christ. All that he did, the words he wrote and the lives he touched were all made possible by the touch of Christ upon his life. In the same way, there is no way a life that has been touched by God can hide. There is no way that a life that God has touched will not in turn, touch other people. That is the power of Christ: the one who is eternal, whose life gives eternal life to those who trust him, and who continues to impact and touch lives even today. 

That is why Paul would not be ashamed, but was willing and bold to speak up about the power of Christ. If Paul could be saved, there is no life so far gone that s/he is beyond the grace of God. Think of men like Ahab, who repented and God forgave him. Think of Peter, who in denying Jesus, called down curses on himself, yet he received grace to be restored. There are accounts of men who the world had given up in, but God would not let go. That is the power of God that leads to salvation, and the reason why none of us can draw conclusions on any life. As long as I do not have the power of creation over a life, I do not have the power of eternity over that life. 

Why is salvation the focus here where the power of Christ is being discussed? It is because salvation is the one thing that opens the door for all of what Christ did for me to make sense. There is nothing down here that can replace the need for Christ in a man's life. Why would I focus on what I can hold in my hands, if those things cannot seal eternal life for me? I believe that is why Paul emphasised this: the greatest work of God is that done in the heart of a man, hidden from sight, but the evidence of which cannot be denied. 

From Paul's perspective, the message of salvation first came for the Jews and then for the Gentiles. In the final analysis, what is important is that all men irrespective of origin, tribe, language or creed have been given access to this gift of salvation. God wanted his own people, the Jews, to enjoy the gift, but he also would not want the rest of the world to perish, so he extended the grace to the Gentiles. Now we all have access to the gift, and there is no excuse. We have all been given the grace to accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour, no matter what our past or present looks like. What are you waiting for? Remember, salvation is a reflection of eternity. The power of God can save but it is subject to the exercise of my freewill. You only get this chance on earth to seal it. Make it count; be sure it is secure, before it is too late. God's time of favour is here.