Thursday, 2016-10-06

Scripture

Bible Reference: Romans 3:22-25

Bible Text:   ²² We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are. ²³ For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. ²⁴ Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. ²⁵ For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

Bible Translation: New Living Translation (NLT)

My Take

As one reads through the Bible you will see where people sacrificed animals and various other things in order to make themselves right. But while all of this gave some the feeling of satisfaction that they were pleasing their gods, it never did give them any assurance of ever being in heaven one day and worshiping at the feet of Jesus and His Father. It never gave any hope to a new and different life filled with the love and leadership of Jesus and the Comforter, the Holy Spirit. Paul saw that this was still causing issues in his day, with the added pressure of his Jewish audience feeling superior to the Gentiles when it came to being right with God. Paul had to clear this up for his audience, and I believe this was placed in God’s Word to help us clear up any misconceptions. There is no magic formula, nor does it apply only to a certain group or nationality. The Word of God says in John 3:16 that ‘whosoever believes on the name of Jesus’. Verse 22 above says that ‘for everyone who believes’. We all have one thing in common – we all have sinned. The solution to that problem also applies to all of us, for in verse 24 and 25 we are reminded that Jesus came so that we might be freed from our sin, and the way that this happens is when we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ – especially the sacrifice He made at Calvary, including the shedding of His precious blood. Sounds easy, right? It definitely was not easy of Jesus, but God wanted this to be straightforward for us. So as you examine your life today friend, know that unless you have submitted your life totally to the King of kings, and believe wholeheartedly on the Lord Jesus Christ, then you are still wallowing in the stench of your sin and destined for hell with Satan as your tormenter and destroyer. This creates a great divide between you and those relatives and friends who have accepted Jesus. This is an individual choice, but friends I hope that each of you would have made the right choice today, and allowed God to make things right for your eternity, for I want to see you in glory!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, I pray that not one who reads this devotional today will gloss over the decision that they need to make in order to know without a shadow of doubt that they are destined for Heaven for a glorious meeting with our Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Some are facing grave danger today, and for some this may be the last day they will have an opportunity to accept Jesus as Lord. I pray that there will be no wasted opportunities by my friends who read this. Please remind them that today is the day of salvation, as they have no assurance of tomorrow. Lord, I believe, please help me overcome any unbelief. AMEN!

Footnote

If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog could indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to www.nuggetsfromgodsword.org and read more, or you may freely to subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. If you are anywhere near the Highlands County, Florida area and do not have a church home, I would be thrilled to welcome you at Bible Fellowship Church, located at 3750 Hammock Rd, Sebring, FL 33872! Click the link to check out service times and/or other special activities. God is at work among us! Please consider coming to worship with us!