Saved For

 

“And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” – Acts 2:21 (CEB)

The Lord saves us. We turn to Him and away from sin-filled living, and we are saved. But why?

Some say that the Lord saves us from sin

Some say that the Lord saves us from eternal damnation

Some say that the Lord saves us from evil

People may respond in various ways, and I agree that the Lord saves us from, but I also want to suggest that the Lord saves us for.

Saved from, is just the beginning of the journey. As you “continue to live in a way that gives meaning to your salvation” (see Philippians 2:12 ERV), in active pursuit of spiritual growth and maturity, with reverence and obedience to God, saved from switches to saved for.

You are saved for the Lord’s purpose – to fulfill His plan. There’s a divine plan that is greater than any of us, and as the Lord’s creation we are meant to help in the actualization of that plan (read Ephesians 3:9-11). However, we cannot properly serve God if we remain in our carnal sinful state. We must go through the salvation process to participate in the Lord’s divine intent.

You can’t keep holding onto your religious mindset either. You must be completely surrendered to God, otherwise, like Peter in that sheet incident (read Acts 10:9-16), you will miss out on what God is calling you to do if you do not let go.

photo courtesy O'Reilly Lewis

Understand that you and I were created to serve God and to be of service to each other. Understand that it is His creation, His eternal plan, and His purpose. It’s all about Him. We get so caught up in a self-serving attitude that we forget that it’s really all about what God wants.

“The world is passing away, and all the things that people want in the world are passing away. But whoever does what God wants will live forever.” – 1 John 2:17 (ERV)

That God wants something from you probably never crossed your mind.

The Lord saved you for connection to Him; to be in relationship with Him. But if a relationship is one-sided, where only one person’s needs are being met, it won’t work. You will always have a need from God, but God has a need for you. You have an integral part to play in the relationship. How you relate to Him is important to Him and it cannot be merely based on your needs alone.

Stop your constant haranguing to have your needs met, instead “What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.” (Matthew 6:33 ERV).

Beloved, you were saved from but more importantly, you are saved for – saved for a life of purpose and service in God’s eternal plan.

Amen †

 

Shelley Johnson “Saved For” © 2025 June 18, 2025