DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT - WEDNESDAY: “THE JOY OF OUR SALVATION”

"The least sin should humble the soul, but certainly the greatest sin should never discourage the soul, much less should it work the soul to despair. Despairing Judas perished, whereas the murderers of Christ, believing on Him, were saved."- Thomas Brooks.
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Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. - Psalm 51:12.

I will never forget the joy of the night that Jean and I and our two oldest daughters, Meg and Bonnie, on a very hot summer night just before Christmas in Melbourne , Australia, walked down the front of the Church of the Christ we were attending, and gave our lives to Jesus Christ and received His wonderful love, joy, forgiveness and the opportunity to lead a new life!

I will never forget the joy of the night ,that we all went through the waters of Baptism, as we made a public confession of our faith, identifying with our Lord and Saviour, in His death, burial and resurrection! Being filled with such a lasting peace that still flows today!

I will never forget the joy in my heart as I watched my two youngest daughters Jeannie and Janet, walk forward in our Church, which we had just planted in a school hall, and where I was the assistant Pastor, to receive Jesus Christ, as their Lord and Saviour! Then later on as their father and Pastor, the joy of leading them through the waters of baptism!

I will never forget the Joy of my Salvation! It has never left me and I don’t want it to! My life in Christ has had its trials and tests and many obstacles were overcome, but the joy has never subsided!

Whenever I read this Psalm of David, which is quite often, it reminds me what it would be like to backslide, and I pray that that never happens. David was full of remorse because of his adulterous relations relationship with Bathsheba, which had resulted in the death of her husband, on David’s orders. He was exposed by the Prophet Nathan and in turn confessed his sins and wrote this Psalm of repentance.

David asked the Lord to forgive him and restore to him the joy of his Salvation, and to keep him from falling again. How awful it must be to lose the joy. There, but for the grace of God go we!

The Joy of our Salvation is found in;
The Knowledge of our Forgiveness… Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! - Psa 51:2. David knew that the stain of sin in his body had gone so deep, that ordinary washing wouldn’t cleanse him. Today when we ask God for forgiveness, the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin…

But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7. Knowing that we are forgiven, is to know JOY!

In the 14th century, Robert Bruce of Scotland was leading his men in a battle to gain independence from England. Near the end of the conflict, the English wanted to capture Bruce to keep him from the Scottish crown. So they put his own bloodhounds on his trail. When the bloodhounds got close, Bruce could hear their baying. His attendant said, "We are done for. They are on your trail, and they will reveal your hiding place." Bruce replied, "It's all right."

Then he headed for a stream that flowed through the forest. He plunged in and waded upstream a short distance. When he came out on the other bank, he was in the depths of the forest. Within minutes, the hounds, tracing their master's steps, came to the bank. They went no farther. The English soldiers urged them on, but the trail was broken. The stream had carried the scent away. A short time later, the crown of Scotland rested on the head of Robert Bruce.

The memory of our sins, prodded on by Satan, can be like those baying dogs--but a stream flows, red with the blood of God's own Son. By grace through faith we are safe. No sin-hound can touch us. The trail is broken by the precious blood of Christ. "The purpose of the cross," someone observed, "is to repair the irreparable." - E. Lutzer, Putting Your Past Behind You, Here's Life, 1990, p.42.

The Joy of our Salvation is found in;
The Realisation of the Holy Spirit’s POWER… Cast me not away from your presence, and take not your Holy Spirit from me. - Psalm 51:11.

David knew that he could not live a godly life on his own strength, he needed the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. And we need Him today also, we need to realise that we can do nothing apart from Christ, and the Holy Spirit helps us to do this… And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: - John 16:8.

While the Holy Spirit is working in us, convicting of sin, righteousness, and judgment, there is hope of salvation; when he departs, then the hope of redemption is gone. But while there is Godly repentance, then all is not lost; for these things prove that the hand of the Holy Spirit is still upon us.

A vacationer watched with curiosity as a lumberman occasionally jabbed his sharp hook into a log, separating it from the others that were floating down a mountain stream. When asked why he did this, the worker replied, "These may all look alike to you, but a few of them are quite different. The ones I let pass are from trees that grew in a valley where they were always protected from the storms. Their grain is coarse.

The ones I've hooked and kept apart from the rest came from high up on the mountains. From the time they were small, they were beaten by strong winds. This toughens the trees and gives them a fine and beautiful grain. We save them for choice work. They're too good to make into plain lumber."

Friend, God often allows some of His dearest saints to be bent by trial or buffeted by the winds of adversity so that they may be strengthened for His service and prepared to fulfil His highest purposes. – Source unknown.

The knowledge that we are forgiven, when we confess our sins and the realisation of the power of the Holy Spirit to change us, is what helps us to understand the joy of our salvation!

Loving Father, I thank you for the joy of my salvation! Help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, and the knowledge that when I sin and confess, I am forgiven, and my relationship with you is restored, as is the joy of my salvation. In Jesus wonderful name I pray! Amen!