#DailyDevotion Now Is The Day Of Salvation. You May Not Have A Tomorrow
2 Cor. 6:1,2 As men who are working with God we plead with you: Don’t let God’s grace be wasted on you. 2He says: At a favorable time I have heard you; On the day of salvation I have helped you. Look, now is the favorable time. Look, now is the day of salvation.
Paul here quotes Isaiah 49, 8“When the time comes to be kind, I will answer You; when the time comes to save, I will help You. I will protect You and give You to be the Covenant of the people, to restore the country, to allot again the possessions that have been laid waste.” This part of Isaiah is speaking to the restoration of Israel. Now this takes place in Jesus who is the Holy One of Isaiah 49. In Isaiah 49 the LORD says of Jesus, 5“And now says the LORD, Who formed Me in the womb to be His Servant, to bring Jacob back to Him and to gather Israel to Him – the LORD treated Me with honor, and My God has become My Strength — 6He says: “It is not enough that You’re My Servant to raise the tribes of Jacob and bring back those in Israel who have been preserved – I have also made You a Light for the nations that My salvation might reach to the most distant parts of the world.” So both Israel and Gentile are brought together in Jesus Christ to be one holy people unto the LORD, his holy Israel according to the faith.
Now the grace that Paul pleads with the Corinthians not to be wasted on them is the free gift of reconciliation with God the Father in chapter 5. There we are told in Christ Jesus our trespasses are not counted against us. All this is from God. How would that grace be wasted on us? Well Paul pleads with them to be reconciled to God. If we do not trust, believe and receive this reconciliation and remain at enmity with God because of our sins and rebelliousness that grace has been wasted on us. It is still there for us but if we don’t make use of it, it does us no good and actually condemns us for unbelief.
We have come to the favorable time of God, right now, as you read this. God has heard your groans from the suffering of your body and mind and soul. Even unbelievers cry out because of what they experience in this world. God has heard their cry and has given us Jesus. God has give your Jesus. Jesus is your reconciliation. He is your redemption, propitiation and expiation. Jesus is your holiness, righteousness and glory. Jesus is your resurrection and assumption into the Godhead in the kingdom of God.
So, as St. Paul says, “Look, now is the favorable time. Look, now is the day of salvation.” You don’t have tomorrow to be saved. You might not be here tomorrow. Tomorrow this may not be offered to you. Tomorrow you may forget about it. Today is it. Now is it. Hebrews 4 reminds us, 7“so He sets another day — today — when long afterwards He says in David’s words, already quoted: “Today if you hear Him speak, don’t harden your hearts.” Now is today. You don’t have to tomorrow to receive and accept this precious gift. If you harden your heart against this day of salvation, you may never get another one. So rejoice you have been given this favorable time, this day of salvation so that you may enter into eternal life, to the resurrection of the body into eternal glory. Don’t let this invitation be wasted on you. It may be the only one you ever get..
Heavenly Father, you have given us this favorable time, this day of salvation in which you have reconciled us to yourself through Jesus Chrsit our LORD. Grant us faith to believe and accept it and rejoice in every day in which we have a today. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.