Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine!
Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine!
~ Fanny Crosby
I just heard about a conversation between two pastors of two different denominations. Please keep reading - this is not the set-up for a joke! The two pastors were talking about their faith. One said that he was comforted that he was saved and headed for heaven. The other said that he had never felt that assurance, that confidence, that he was saved. He still worried that maybe he wouldn't make it to heaven.
What about you? Do you feel confident that you are saved? Are you worrying that maybe you don't measure up, and won't make it past the pearly gates?
The old hymn, Blessed Assurance, tells of a person who is confident that "Jesus is mine!" Personally, I was blessed with an experience where Jesus told me he went to the cross for me and I know that I am covered by his salvation.
But many people are still wondering. In our Methodist tradition, John Wesley grew up in a faithful household, and went to university and got ordained as a priest, and he still wondered if he was saved. He knew all the right answers, and believed the right stuff, but he didn't feel it in his heart. Wesley was born in 1703, ordained as a priest in 1728, and he didn't feel that "Jesus was mine!" until 1738. His "heart was strangely warmed" at a Bible study on the book of Romans, when he felt that Jesus loved him and he was saved. He was a pastor for 10 years before he felt Jesus loved him and accepted him!
So if we are feeling like we aren't sure... we have good company. What do we do about this? Jesus is clear that we are saved through the waters of baptism when we accept his gift of grace. Jesus also calls us to respond to grace by walking in the Way of Jesus through prayer, serving those in need, studying to know God better, giving generously and sharing our faith with others. Many of us who feel "blessed assurance" got that feeling through these spiritual practices that respond to God's grace. I got my feeling one day while I was fasting. Wesley got his when he was studying God's Word. When we are looking for God, we often find God.
If you have accepted the gift of God's grace, you are saved. If you feel like something is still missing in your faith life, I encourage you to continue to explore your faith and live out God's grace, and I suspect you will feel God's presence in new ways as you move forward in your faith journey. Amen.
Pastor Anna-Lisa Hunter
April 24, 2024
Got more questions? Let me know and we can see where God is leading you.
