September 1, 2021: Safe and Sound

“That the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21, NASB).

When I was a little boy living in the Dominican Republic, I used to save ants from the flood my mother created when she cleaned the concrete floor in our garage. I would take little leaves, straws, whatever was around, to save them. How terrible it was when even one didn’t make it. It pained me.

Imagine how many people God has not been able to save since the beginning of creation—because they haven’t chosen Him in return. Jeremiah 17:9 says, “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (NIV). And Romans 3:23 says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (NIV).

However, there is hope in Jesus: “But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23, NIV). What wonderful news! When I hear these words from the Bible, that sensation I felt when I used to save those little ants rejuvenates me. How much more excited does God get when a little child He created turns to Him to be saved?

God, save us, for we cannot save ourselves. Amen.

Jaime N. Rodriguez Arjona is the pastor of the Summersville and Vida Nueva Spanish churches in West Virginia.