From the UCC Network: Devotional for 11/21 "Are You Saved?"

Are You Saved?

Excerpt from Colossians 1:11-20

“God rescued us from dead-end alleys.”  (The Message)

Reflection by William C. Green

Am I saved?  These days the question may be put more smoothly.  In whatever guise, it lingers.  And it does get to the heart of faith.

“Salvation” comes from a Hebrew root meaning “removal of constriction” and “breathing space.”  For Christians, we grow into this under the influence of Jesus.  The new life he inspires gradually frees us from what has gotten in our way—doubt, arrogance, excessive modesty, guilt or shame, anger including what the church itself can stir up.  “Frees us” is not the same as “makes go away.”  It means that trouble no longer locks us in. We’re no longer facing dead ends. The problems that remain, however serious, are no longer shackles.

Jesus did not constrain people all over again, this time in the name of God.  He did not insist that people see things his way.  Many didn’t.  He didn’t argue.  He simply states what he knows to be true and embodies it in his way of living.  He shows that God’s love runs deeper than anything that gets in the way. 

For us this may mean listening as closely to others as we wish we could be listened to ourselves.  Amid all we think it’s important to say and do, we can remember that we’re in God’s business, just like Jesus, not our own.  It doesn’t all depend on us.

Prayer

Gracious God, rescue me from doubt and hard feeling that become dead ends.  In your spirit may I breathe more freely, and help others do the same.  Amen.

About the Author William C. Green, a United Church of Christ minister, is the Director of Long Looking, a consultancy service specializing in fundraising and education for congregations. His new book, 52 Ways to Ignite Your Congregation: Generous Giving, has just been published.