Saved to Bless

Salvation is about more than a ticket to heaven.
Heaven is awesome. That last sentence is a terrible understatement, isn’t it? Saying that heaven is awesome is certainly not enough to describe the greatness and the wonder and the excitement of heaven. Saying heaven is awesome is like saying the sun is bright: true, but inadequate.
When we are saved, we are “created in Christ Jesus” (Eph.2:10) That means that we are made new by Him. Our sins are forgiven and our lives are changed. We are born again. There is a spiritual rebirth. We die to the old life and live new lives in Christ. We are God’s creation spiritually when He saves us.
We are not saved by good works. The two previous verses- Ephesians 2:8-9- tell us that we are saved by grace through faith and not by our good actions. We place our faith in the good works done for

us by Christ on the cross and not in our own goodness. But, we are saved for good works. There is a purpose to our salvation that involves our good actions and right conduct in this life.
A clear purpose to our salvation is that God wants us to do good works. God wants us to be a blessing to our world through the good works that we perform. Our lives are to become examples and blessings to others. Our behavior is changed by our salvation.
Think of this purpose of salvation for a moment. Have you considered this fully yet?
God blessed you with the gift of salvation so that your life will be a blessing to this world. Your life is to be a means by which others see the light of truth and the power of faith. Your life is to be an example. Your lifestyle is to be a model. Your service and ministry is to be a blessing.
Salvation is not just about what you get. You do get forgiveness and heaven and hope and a host of other wonderful blessings in salvation. It is about more than that. Your Savior saves you to give as well as to get. He has good works, acts of kindness, thoughtful deeds, and important services planned for your life. He saved you for more than heaven alone. He saved you for good works which He planned for you long ago.
God saved you to bless. You were blessed to bless.
-Adapted from Immersed: 40 Days to a Deeper Faith, Doug Munton