TODAY'S READING IS FROM Through the Narrow Gate - the surprising door into radient life by The Sky Family
JESUS’ SALVATION
Willfully or ignorantly we break all sorts of God’s laws. We begin to reap the penalty of the law and so begin to sink in the Quicksand of Death because of our sins. Someone points out that there is a place of safety; that is, we find that if we obey God, great blessings will come upon us instead of curses. So we begin to struggle to get there. We try to start being good and find we can’t. We are so weak that despite all our good intentions, we run to sin. We love everything that kills us. Finally, after we sink deeper and deeper into trouble, we realize that unless there is a miracle, we are dead. We call out to God for help, then Jesus comes to rescue us. He is our miracle. He reaches out and says, “I’ll pull you to safety.” This requires that Jesus first take the penalty of the law for us by dying on the cross in our place as though He were us. It was necessary for Him to do that in order to fulfill the requirements of the law. Why? Because someone had to take our punishment. If there were no penalty enforced there would be no law. It would fall apart and we would have the 10 Suggestions instead of the 10 Commandments.
WHAT IS THE SALVATION JESUS BRINGS TO US?
He causes the death penalty charged against us to be dropped. He brings us forgiveness for all our sins so we do not have to receive the just penalty for our crimes. Furthermore, He plants in us a new desire to be good so that we do not simply use our new feedom to go out and sin again. He gives us pardon and begin to change our heart to want to become obedient children. What follows from there are the Blessings of Obedience found in Deuteronomy 28.
HOW CAN I GET SAVED?
Now that we understand the importance of being “saved” or more accurately, “rescued”, how do we go about it? What is the actual process of coming to peace with God?
This is the most important question of your entire eternal life. For those who have met our Loving Saviors already, you can use this as a guide to help lead others to a personal relationship with Christ:
- SIN IS THE ISSUE
Jesus came to save us from sin. Sin is what brings the curse of God. Quicksand of death is made up of every sinful thought and action we have. Sin is the issue.
"And she will bear a son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for it is He who will save His people from their sins." ~ Matthew 1:21 "Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. And you know that He appeared in order to take away sins;" ~ 1 John 3:4, 5a "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." ~ Romans 6:23
- ADMIT IN YOUR HEART THAT YOU ARE A SINNER
"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." ~ Romans 1:18a "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." ~ Romans 3:23
- ADMIT YOUR NEED FOR A SAVIOR
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit." ~ Titus 3:5 "and He himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." ~ 1 Peter 2:24 "But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." ~ Romans 5:8
- CONFESS YOUR SINS
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." ~ 1 John 1:9 "... 'Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and rise again from the dead the third day; and that repentance for forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in His name to all nations ..." ~ Luke 24:46-47
- ASK HIM TO SAVE YOU
"Whoever will call upon the name of the Lord will be saved." ~ Romans 10:13 "... 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst." ~ John 6:35 "... and the one who comes to Me, I will certainly not cast out." ~ John 6:37b "But as many have received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." ~ John 1:12
- BELIEVE IN YOUR HEART
"And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him." ~ Hebrews 11:6 "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, tat whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten son of God." ~ John 3:16-18 "who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity," ~ 2 Timothy 1:9 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgement, but he passed out of death into life." ~ John 5:24 "I am the light of the world; he who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the Light of Life." ~ John 8:12
- CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH
"Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven." ~ Matthew 10:32 "... if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation ... 'Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed." ~ Romans 10:9-11
- RECEIVE IT BY FAITH
" 'and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater that all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand.' " ~ John 10:28-29 "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." ~ Romans 8:1 "... 'I am the resurrection and the life; he who believe in Me shall live even if he dies.' " ~ John 11:25
- BE BAPTIZED
" He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.' " ~ Mark 16:16 "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." ~ Romans 6:4 "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you ..." ~ Matthew 28:19-20
- BE PUTTING TO DEATH THE DEEDS OF SIN
As evidence that you have truly been Born Again into Christ, you will begin to display a transformed life.
" for if you are living according to the flesh, you must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live." ~ Romans 8:13 "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind ..." ~ Romans 12:2a "He who believe in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him." ~ John 3:36 "Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts, which wage war against your soul." ~ 1 Peter 2:11 "Therefore, consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth." ~ Colossians 3:5-8 "Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him." ~ 1 John 2:15
- JUST TALK TO GOD
This may all sound complicated at first, but it’s actually very simple. In fact, we often make it more difficult than it really is. The way to approach God for the salvation of your soul is just this – talk to God.
Go to Him privately or with a Christian friend and tell Him you would like to become His child. Tell Him of all your struggles. Openly confess your doubts to Him. Ask Him to show you that He really is there. You will be surprised by what happens! Then confess your sins to Him. Take your time and really get all the burdens off your soul. Then ask Jesus to come into your heart and make it new … and He will!
Then begin to exercise your faith. The Bible says to thank Him that He loves you and has heard your prayers. Thank Him that He has forgiven all your sins. This is faith in action. This is how you take hold of His hand so He can pull you out of the quicksand of death. You may or may not feel any different right then. but God has made you His child! Keep rejoining in Him and soon you will be overwhelmed by the sweet presence of God!
- AN EXAMPLE OF HOW TO PRAY
“Dear Lord Jesus, I freely confess to you all my sins. I am tired of reaping the consequences of sim in my life. I will die in my sins if you don’t rescue me. Please forgive me of every wrong thing I have ever done [elaborate here] and cleanse me from them. I need you Lord Jesus and I pray the You will come to me and make Your home in my heart. I give you my life. I pray that You would make me a new person. I thank you that You have said that anyone who comes to You, You will in no way cast out. I believe that You are real and that You love me and even now that You have received me as Your child. Thank you for forgiving my sins. Thank you for accepting me and making my Your Child this day. Lord, I receive Your Holy Spirit to make me a good and obedient child. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Mary’s Response
I surely wish I was a good deal younger than 31 when I gave my life to Christ. Now I walk in newness everyday and I can honestly say God has made me a much joyful person. And regarding tithing – God has surely proved His blessings upon my life when he states the following from Malachi 3:10:
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” ~ Malachi 3:10
YES! I have tested my Lord in tithing and He proves over and over to me that He is faithful to me … now it’s your turn lovey. Become a Christian and see the beautiful work God does in your life.
