Joy Challenge Video Devotional - Day 17: Pastor Kerry Shook
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“See, God has come to save me! I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and song; He is my salvation. Oh, the joy of drinking deeply from the Fountain of Salvation!"
Isaiah 12:2-3 (TLB)
Have you ever wondered what salvation really is? While some may treat salvation like an eternal life insurance policy to pull out on judgment day, salvation is so much more. Salvation is more than sins forgiven and a home in heaven. The truth is, salvation is not so much about getting you and me out of hell and into heaven one day, as it is getting God out of heaven and into us today! This is the sheer joy of salvation that Isaiah speaks of in Isaiah 12. In verses two and three He writes, “See, God has come to save me! I will trust and not be afraid, for the Lord is my strength and song; He is my salvation. Oh the joy of drinking deeply from the Fountain of Salvation!”
Did you notice that Isaiah didn’t separate salvation as something God did from who God is? Isaiah said, “God is my salvation!” When God came to save him, He became for Isaiah: salvation! That’s exactly what God did in Christ. Jesus told a lost and broken chief tax collector, named, Zacchaeus, that He came to seek and to save those who were lost in Luke 19:10. As a chief tax collector, Zacchaeus had all this world could afford him. He was rich but he was lost and broken spiritually. He knew something was missing in his life. When he heard about Jesus, he went out on a limb to meet Him! It’s really kind of a humorous story. Being a short guy, Zacchaeus climbed a sycamore tree just to see Jesus pass by. I can’t help but think Jesus snickered when He saw this little tax collector up in that tree. The Living Bible paraphrases what happened in Luke 19:5-6; “When Jesus came by, He looked up at Zacchaeus and called him by name! ‘Zacchaeus!’ he said. ‘Quick! Come down! For I am going to be a guest in your home today!’ Zacchaeus hurriedly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy.”
If you know the story, you know that Zacchaeus gave his life to Christ with demonstrable faith! Verse eight tells us he gave half his wealth to the poor and repaid those he cheated with four times as much! Nowhere in the story does it say that Jesus told him to do that! In verse nine, Jesus said, “Salvation has come to this house today!” (TEV) Zacchaeus didn’t buy his salvation. It was the response of a changed life! Having met Jesus, his life would never ever be the same again! Just as with Isaiah, Zacchaeus experienced the sheer joy of drinking deeply from the Fountain of Salvation! Have you? The phrase in Hebrew for joy and gladness means “deep joy.” It’s a pervasive joy that penetrates your whole being, body, soul, and spirit! When you drink from that fountain that never runs dry, you’re never the same! Jesus is the Living Water that quenches our deepest thirst! Nothing in this life can ever satisfy the soul of man like Jesus! That’s why Zacchaeus could release this world’s wealth. God had come to save him! He had a new life, the very life of Jesus, to share each and every day here and now on his way to heaven!
Have you experienced that life? John tells us in 1 John 5:11-12 (NLT), “And this is what God has testified: He has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life.” When you receive the Son, Jesus, you have eternal life! This is salvation - God, the Creator, restored in His creature, man, making him a new creation in Christ! He is our salvation! If you don’t have the Son, you don’t have life. You may be physically alive, but you are spiritually dead, as dead as Zacchaeus was. Open your heart to Jesus and invite Him to take control of your life. Experience the joy of drinking deeply from that fountain of salvation! You’ll never be the same again! Listen to the invitation of Isaiah, “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink – even if you have no money! … it’s all free!” Isaiah 55:1 (NLT)
Printed copies of The Joy Challenge devotional are available at The Joy Challenge - Kerry Shook Ministries.