I could say 1 million euro, but 2 million would be better. Well, whatever amount I chose, I could think of a higher number. But I don’t suppose anyone is gonna give me much money 😄. And money doesn’t necessarily bring happiness anyway, although it’s nice to have slightly more than you need.
Salvation is so much better than money, because it means eternal happiness. And it’s not something you earn, despite the well-known nursery rhyme.
One, two, three, four, five six seven
All good children go to heaven
The Apostle Paul spent much time in the book of Romans telling us that none of us are good, so we’d never get to heaven through our own merits. But then, he goes on to speak about the salvation that Jesus offers. It’s a gift. And we should aspire to be good out of thanksgiving for God’s wonderful gift.
Roman 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.
Titus 3:5
5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
People sometimes argue about the specifics. For example, what if someone claims to be a believer but doesn’t live a godly life? Some say that they’re not true believers, some say that they are but they won’t get to heaven, and others say that none of us are very godly, so all of us depend on God’s mercy.
The way I look at it is that once you believe, you are saved and safe, but I wouldn’t feel safe if I didn’t at least have an appetite for holiness. When you commit your life to Christ, the Holy Spirit gives you that appetite, but you are subject to bad influences from yourself, others, and the devil. You will win the war (because Jesus has already won it for you), but you won’t necessarily win every personal battle with temptation. Believing is a little like D-day, just as the cross of Christ is like D-day. The battles go on, but victory is inevitable – even if victory after D-day wasn’t absolutely inevitable.
Here are some songs that celebrate salvation. There are so many ways to celebrate. I’ve spent the last few weeks exploring Christmas hymns. The following list are American songs. Funny these O’Neal twins having an Irish surname. The surname O’Neal is an Anglicized form of the Irish Gaelic name Ó Néill, meaning “descendant of Niall.” Well, so many Americans trace their origins to Ireland.
And here’s a hymn sung by Indians which originated in Ireland. I can think of few hymns that summarize the message of the gospel so well.
1 There is a green hill far away,
outside a city wall,
where the dear Lord was crucified,
who died to save us all.
2 We may not know, we cannot tell
what pains He had to bear,
but we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.
3 He died that we might be forgiv'n,
He died to make us good,
that we might go at last to heav'n,
saved by His precious blood.
4 There was no other good enough
to pay the price of sin;
He only could unlock the gate
of heav'n, and let us in.
5 O dearly, dearly has He loved,
and we must love Him too,
and trust in His redeeming blood,
and try His works to do.
And here’s a hymn that originated in India, which we often sing in Ireland. To confuse you even more, here’s the Jamaican version. I wasn’t able to find an Irish version 😄.
And here’s a modern twist on the song and the story of the origin of the original song:
Hibernia Gospel 
Ephesians 2:8-9 There was so much serenity in this once I found his grace.
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