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Pastor Beal

THE JOY OF SALVATION

"The Lord is MY shepherd
I shall not want." Ps. 23:1

As I read the 23rd Psalm, which is said to be "the greatest song ever sung", I'm always warmed by the personal touch that salvation vs. religion gives. So many people who have gone from being "religious" to being "saved", will tell you how wonderful it is to know Jesus Christ as personal savior. It's not enough just to know Jesus as a savior or the savior, but when one can say, "My Savior". This is when one has received a new regenerated heart, not just a rehabilitated life. You look forward to carrying your Bible to church and hearing the Word of God preached. You go because you are hungry and in love with your new found relationship in Jesus Christ, that you received by faith, not works. It's when you realize that going to church, is like a child going home to see his father (a welcomed privilege and joy, not a chore that one must be threatened with by false teachings). That personal touch of "My Shepherd", makes all the world of difference. Have you ever noticed women oohing and ahhing over a baby, and the Mother so proudly says, "This is MY baby!" I love MY swetheart, MY girls, MY family, MY parents, and I can joyfully say, He is MY Shepherd. Can you say that Jesus is "My Savior"? Knowing about God and knowing of Him is nothing like knowing Him personally. The Bible is a love letter from God to mankind. Until we receive Christ as Savior, we really won't understand what God is trying to tell us. It will be like reading someone else's mail. I Cor. 2:14, "But the natural (lost) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God:", "But he that is spiritual (saved) judgeth all things." Maybe the struggle in your heart or walk with God is that you have never made Him your personal Savior. Trust Him today!

Thanks! Pastor Earl Beal