Salvation

Gifts!  Who doesn’t like to receive a gift?  Presents wrapped with brightly colored paper and bows. A gift tag with OUR name on it. And most importantly, someone holding the gift and offering, “Take it! I bought it for you!”  Beaming, our Lord God waits for us to take the gift described in Romans 6:23. That in spite of our sin, He offers the “free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our Heavenly Father gives us a gift that cost His Son’s life. Forgiveness is the first thing we see in the gift. Then the gifts of His Holy Spirit, heaven, friendship, eternity, and so much more!  With each day, we realize there’s more of God’s love to unwrap. The Gift Giver smiles as our eyes light up in joyful praise.

Lord God, thank You for GIVING us the GIFT of eternal life in Christ Jesus and for all that is encompassed in the gift of His life! We praise You.

How would you describe yourself? Would you use “DOOR” to communicate with others who you are? I certainly wouldn’t. But Jesus did. In John 10:9 He said, “I am the DOOR; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved,…” Why would Jesus describe Himself as a door? He wants us to know that there is an “outside” of heaven and an “inside” of heaven. Heaven is a place and we are “outside” until we go “into” heaven through Jesus. Make no mistake. Everyone will not live eternally “in” heaven. Only those who enter through Jesus will be in heaven. Our Heavenly Father sends a personal invitation to you to enter eternal life in heaven through Jesus who paid your entrance fee when He hung on the cross for your sins. No knocking is required. Just a prayer. Repent of and confess your sins to God. Ask Him to forgive you. Receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Learn more at Meet Jesus.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for opening the DOOR to heaven through Your sacrifice on the cross.

“Door” is one of God’s 26 character traits in my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. Learn more HERE.

Please join me for Acts, Part 2.  New teachings each week.  Learn more HERE.

If you were asked what the most important word in the world is, how would you reply?  Would it be love, hope, or peace?  Do a search on the topic and you’ll find a variety of answers such as the most important word is a person’s name.  Another answer you might find is “thank you,” which is only one word in French. The Bible has an eternal perspective on this topic, however. John 1:1 says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Bible passages such as  Revelation 19:13 explain the most important Word is Jesus. “His name is called THE WORD of GOD.” Acts 4:10-12 warns us there is salvation in no other name except Jesus.  Now that you know the most important Word, why not start up a conversation with someone on the topic? It might lead to an opportunity for you to share Christ and tell them how they can be saved. If the person is already a Christian but not closely following Christ, it gives you an opportunity to share with them how life and light are found in Jesus. Let’s not keep this Word to ourselves!

Holding my finger to the gate opener, I edged toward the closed gate. Would it open this time, I wondered? It didn’t. Putting my car in reverse, I backed up and approached the gate a second time. Again, it failed to open. Determined, I gave it the ole “third time is the charm” approach. It worked! Have you been attempting to get through a closed door yet failing? Why not try a different approach? Psalm 145:18 tells us God is near to all who call on Him in truth. Have you called on your Heavenly Father and asked Him how to approach a closed door? Call on God. His door is always open. Then, listen to how He directs you. Act on God’s instruction. Journal God’s answers to your prayers and your praises in Prayers of My Heart, a journal designed with you in mind. 

Driving down the highway, I glanced in my rearview mirror and saw an ambulance with flashing lights speedily approaching.  Pulling over, I noticed all the other cars did the same. It’s the law to pull over for an emergency vehicle. Why is it that we set aside our time and agenda for an earthly emergency vehicle but we don’t for spiritual emergencies? People are dying and going to hell. Christ wants to move through the streets of our cities and reach the unsaved. Will you pull aside from your agenda to join Christ and reach people who are living and dying without hope? Learn how to change the course of our homes and nation by joining me for a study of Acts. Discover how Christians who are yielded to God can alter the course of families, cities, and our nation.

• His WORKS are MARVELOUS. Revelation 15:3 says, And they *sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and MARVELOUS are Your WORKS, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!’”

Think. In what way do you recognize God marvelously working in your life or in the life of someone close to you? Praise Him for it.

• His LOVINGKINDNESS is MARVELOUS.   The psalmist writes, “Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.” Psalm 31:21.  In this verse, marvelous means “wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action.”

Think. In what way can you personally testify to the fact that God’s lovingkindness is “wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action”?

• His SALVATION is MARVELOUS.  In Matthew 21:42, Jesus asks, “‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS in our eyes?”  Jesus said God’s plan for saving sinners is marvelous, which means “worthy of pious admiration, admirable, excellent, passing human comprehension, causing amazement joined with terror, extraordinary, striking, surprising.”

Think of God’s marvelous plan for saving you and praise Him.

• His LIGHT is MARVELOUS.  First Peter 2:9, a favorite verse of mine because it defines the believer’s purpose states, “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His MARVELOUS LIGHT.”  We are to tell others of the excellencies of Christ and share the good news that they can live in His excellent, extraordinary, striking, surprising light.

Think. In what way are you fulfilling your divine purpose?

Friends, our Lord’s works, lovingkindness, salvation, and light is marvelous – extraordinary and amazing.  Spend time praising Him. Write out one of the above verses in the “Meditation, Notes, and Prayers” section of your Prayers of My Heart. Turn to the verse and meditate on it when you are moping rather than marvelous minded. Let His marvelous light do its transforming work.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are marvelous in Your work, love, kindness, salvation, and light. We celebrate, worship, and thank You!

Gifts!  Who doesn’t like to receive a gift?  Presents wrapped with brightly colored paper and bows. A gift tag with OUR name on it. And most importantly, someone holding the gift and offering, “Take it! I bought it for you!”  Beaming, our Lord God waits for us to take the gift described in Romans 6:23. That in spite of our sin, He offers the “free gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Our Heavenly Father gives us a gift that cost His Son’s life. Forgiveness is the first thing we see in the gift. Then the gifts of His Holy Spirit, heaven, friendship, eternity, and so much more!  With each day, we realize there’s more of God’s love to unwrap. The Gift Giver smiles as our eyes light up in joyful praise.

Lord God, thank You for GIVING us the GIFT of eternal life in Christ Jesus and for all that is encompassed in the gift of His life! We praise You.

How would you describe yourself? Would you use “DOOR” to communicate with others who you are? I certainly wouldn’t. But Jesus did. In John 10:9 He said, “I am the DOOR; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved,…” Why would Jesus describe Himself as a door? He wants us to know that there is an “outside” of heaven and an “inside” of heaven. Heaven is a place and we are “outside” until we go “into” heaven through Jesus. Make no mistake. Everyone will not live eternally “in” heaven. Only those who enter through Jesus will be in heaven. Our Heavenly Father sends a personal invitation to you to enter eternal life in heaven through Jesus who paid your entrance fee when He hung on the cross for your sins. No knocking required. Just a prayer. Repent of and confess your sins to God. Ask Him to forgive you. Receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. Learn more at Meet Jesus.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for opening the DOOR to heaven through Your sacrifice on the cross.

“Door” is one of God’s 26 character traits in my book, Pray with Purpose, Live with Passion. Learn more HERE. 

Have you ever considered that God appoints people, times, places, and more? Contemplate the following with holy reverence.

“So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the APPOINTED time of which God had spoken to him,” Genesis 21:2.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have APPOINTED you a prophet to the nations,” Jeremiah 1:5.

And the LORD APPOINTED a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights,” Jonah 1:17.

“So the LORD God APPOINTED a plant and it grew up over Jonah to be a shade over his head to deliver him from his discomfort. And Jonah was extremely happy about the plant,” Jonah 4:6.

Jonah 4:7 GOD APPOINTED a worm when dawn came the nextday and it attacked the plant and it withered.

“He (Jesus) APPOINTED twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, Mark 3:14.

“Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the APPOINTED time will come,” Mark 13:33.

“And inasmuch as it is APPOINTED for men to die once and after this comes judgment,” Hebrews 9:27.

I’m currently studying Revelation and it is beyond exciting to see all that God has appointed for the future…down to the year, month, day, and hour as in Revelation 9:15:

And the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year were released, so that they would kill a third of mankind. 

Yes, God appoints people, places, events, years, months, days, and even hours. If ever there was a time for to be ready to meet God it is now.  Are you ready?

LORD GOD, You APPOINT people, places, and times. Humble our hearts realizing that our world, months, days, and hours are in Your hands. Increase our passion to reach the unsaved.

• His WORKS are MARVELOUS. Revelation 15:3 says, And they *sang the song of Moses, the bond-servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, ‘Great and MARVELOUS are Your WORKS, O Lord God, the Almighty; Righteous and true are Your ways, King of the nations!’”

Think. In what way do you recognize God marvelously working in your life or in the life of someone close to you? Praise Him for it.

• His LOVINGKINDNESS is MARVELOUS.   The psalmist writes, “Blessed be the LORD, for He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city.” Psalm 31:21.  In this verse, marvelous means “wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action.”

Think. In what way can you personally testify to the fact that God’s lovingkindness is “wonderful, surpassing, extraordinary, separate by distinguishing action”?

• His SALVATION is MARVELOUS.  In Matthew 21:42, Jesus asks, “‘Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS in our eyes?”  Jesus said God’s plan for saving sinners is marvelous, which means “worthy of pious admiration, admirable, excellent, passing human comprehension, causing amazement joined with terror, extraordinary, striking, surprising.”

Think on God’s marvelous plan for saving you and praise Him.

• His LIGHT is MARVELOUS.  First Peter 2:9, a favorite verse of mine because it defines the believer’s purpose states, “But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His MARVELOUS LIGHT.”  We are to tell others of the excellencies of Christ and share the good news that they can live in His excellent, extraordinary, striking, surprising light.

Think. In what way are you fulfilling your divine purpose?

Friends, our Lord’s works, lovingkindness, salvation, and light is marvelous – extraordinary and amazing.  Spend time praising Him. Write out one of the above verses in the “Meditation, Notes, and Prayers” section of your Prayers of My Heart. Turn to the verse and meditate on it when you are moping rather than marvelous minded. Let His marvelous light do its transforming work.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, You are marvelous in Your work, love, kindness, salvation, and light. We celebrate, worship, and thank You!