Luke 1:68-68

His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:
"Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, because he has come and has redeemed his people."

What amazing faith Zechariah had! Jesus has not even been born yet, but He is filled with the Holy Spirit and sharing the redemption of God's people! What faith...I pray for that kind of faith in my own personal life. I pray that I can stand firmly on the Rock of my salvation and trust the His Word is the satisfaction of my soul!

I want to share with you a picture of what salvation means to us...in the words of Charles Spurgeon. I read his book "Morning and Evening" each day and today was a perfect compliment to the verses we had in our family devotion this morning.

"Salvation is of the Lord." Jonah 2:9

Salvation is the work of God. It is he alone who quickens the soul "dead in trespasses and sins," and it is he also who maintains the soul in its spiritual life. He is both "Alpha and Omega." "Salvation is of the Lord."

If I am prayerful, God makes me prayerful; if I have graces, they are God's gifts to me; if I hold on in a consistent life, it is because he upholds me with his hand. I do nothing whatever towards my own preservation, except what God himself first does in me. Whatever I have, all my goodness is of the Lord alone.

Wherein I sin, that is my own; but wherein I act rightly, that is of God, wholly and completely. If I have repulsed a spiritual enemy, the Lord's strength nerved my arm. Do I live before men a consecrated life? It is not I, but Christ who liveth in me. Am I sanctified? I did not cleanse myself: God's Holy Spirit sanctifies me. Am I weaned from the world? I am weaned by God's chastisements sanctified to my good. Do I grow in knowledge? The great Instructor teaches me.

All my jewels were fashioned by heavenly art. I find in God all that I want; but I find in myself nothing but sin and misery. "He only is my rock and my salvation."

Do I feed on the Word? That Word would be no food for me unless the Lord made it food for my soul, and helped me to feed upon it. Do I live on the manna which comes down from heaven? What is that manna but Jesus Christ himself incarnate, whose body and whose blood I eat and drink?

Am I continually receiving fresh increase of strength? Where do I gather my might? My help cometh from heaven's hills: without Jesus I can do nothing. As a branch cannot bring forth fruit except it abide in the vine, no more can I, except I abide in him. What Jonah learned in the great deep, let me learn this morning in my closet: "Salvation is of the Lord."

Oh, what a good word this morning from my brother...and what a blessing to hear Zechariah's heart of faith. I pray today that each of us will understand the true meaning of our salvation. I pray that it was not simply a one time event...but we see how it weaves it's fiber into every part of our lives. What a reminder to me, that if I hunger and feed on His Word, that it is such a precious gift from Him every morning. Let's not take our salvation as common place, but rejoice in humility at the Christ who redeemed his people!

I can't even begin to thank Him for my salvation. Each day He is pouring the reality of salvation into my heart. He is breaking the bonds of unbelief and giving me wings of faith!!