Salvation is the Work of the Lord

       After I surrendered my life to Jesus Christ I really wanted to go out and save souls, I wanted to tell everybody about Jesus, what He did for me and that He could do it for them too, honestly I still do! I would often pray, 'Lord let me turn one of your lost sheep back to you, let me save one person and bring them into your kingdom and everything I must endure will be worth it.' My motivation and the general idea I had were great but what I didn't know then was my logic was flawed in this prayer, I was wrong. It took me a while to accept this, or even realize it in the first place but saving people isn't my job. Salvation is not something I am even capable of, while my heart was in the right place, the fact remains that I cannot save anyone. Salvation comes from a Savior, and that is not me, it is Yeshua who saves, He alone died and rose again for us and it is Him who saves the lost.
         The Great Commission found in Matthew 28:16-20; calls all of us to go out and make disciples of all nations, in other words we are to spread the Gospel of Jesus to all, to teach them about Him and to obey His commands, to show them the love of our Creator and encourage them as they grow in faith. But nowhere in this did Jesus tell us to save them. In John 13:34-35 we see His command to love, this command was a repeated throughout the ministry of Jesus and His disciples. But again we were not commanded to save because we can't, we can only throw the seeds out there. As humans we are unable to see into people's hearts, we cannot determine if they are good soil, or rocky, we can't determine if the seed fell in the path and would eaten by birds, or into the thorn bush and choked(Luke 8:1-15), but the Father in heaven knows all of this and asks only that we share His Word and the testimony He gave us.
        Now I know I may have deflated some of you by saying you didn't actually get anyone saved, that you can't save anyone, but really understanding that salvation comes from the Lord and is not a reflection on how good or bad we are doing in His service frees us up to focus on the call. When the seeds fall on the path and are trampled or eaten by birds, or in the rocks, or into a bush we can feel like we failed, but that isn't truth, that is just hurt pride talking. When we allow our pride to be taken out of this equation and simply accept that all we can do, all we are supposed to do is share then we are better able to shake the dust from our feet and walk away from those who won't hear. We are better able to accept that it was not us they rejected but the Lord(1 Samuel 8:7), and this keeps us from going down the paths of bitterness or rage in the hurt of rejection, which anyone who evangelizes will tell you, you will face plenty of.
       Yes, it can be extremely thrilling, exhilarating  and energizing when someone says that what we shared with them has changed their life, has caused them to turn back to the Lord or turns them to Yeshua for the first time, but we didn't do that, it wasn't really us, we simply obeyed, allowing God to use us and our Father did the rest. He worked on their heart and changed it, not us, we were just used in obedience to bring it about. Honestly, this is still something I struggle with at times because everyday I talk with so many people, and some of them are very broken and hurting. I know Christ can heal their pain because He healed mine and I long to make them see it, for them to turn to Him and be saved, be surrendered, but I cannot make it happen. Salvation of the lost isn't something that God holds me accountable for; salvation is something personal between us and God, but evangelizing, spreading the Gospel and loving people, those are our jobs, that is what each and everyone of us called into Him are called to do. My pride would love to say it's me effecting people, but my spirit knows the truth, it is all the Lord's work, I simply asked Him to use me and responded in obedience. He is bringing people to me and to you too who need to know Him, who He wants us to teach, but it is Him who saves and has saved us, and all the glory for it belongs to Him. Be blessed.

Psalm 37:39-40
39 But the salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; He is their strength in time of trouble. 40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; He delivers them from the wicked and saves them, Because they take refuge in Him

Jonah 2:8-9

8 “Those who cling to worthless idols turn away from God’s love for them. 9 But I, with shouts of grateful praise, will sacrifice to you. What I have vowed I will make good. I will say, ‘Salvation comes from the Lord.’ 

  
Isaiah 45:17
But Israel will be saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you will never be put to shame or disgraced, to ages everlasting
      
Acts 4:8-12

8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is

“ ‘the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the cornerstone.’

12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”

 

2 Timothy 1:9-12

9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 11 And of this gospel I was appointed a herald and an apostle and a teacher. 12 That is why I am suffering as I am. Yet this is no cause for shame, because I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.