-July 31, 2020-
Good morning, happy Friday,
-The Right To Become Children Of God Through Receiving Christ-
“But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.”
(John 1:12-13).
The new birth is something that is very hard for man to understand. It is totally of God; man has no part in it other than believing the message of gospel and receiving Christ as Lord and Savior. Jesus died for our sins on the cross and rose again for justification. He did the work of our salvation on the cross and finished it.
The offer of eternal life is available to every person in the world. No one is excluded. God gave us a freewill to decide to whether to receive Christ or reject Him. One will either believe and receive and be saved, or reject Him and His offer of life, and be lost. There is no middle ground or gray area. If if one chooses not to decide, he or she has thus chosen to reject Christ. It is like a test with one question on it with two possible answers. Only one is correct, the other is in incorrect. Jesus is the way, the truth, and life. No one comes to the Father except through Him.
It reminds me of all the talk we have around the Coronavirus pandemic. The whole world is waiting for a vaccine to become available to every man, woman, and child. Think of the number of doses needed! The first question will there be enough for everybody who needs it and who will have priority in such a case. Then on top of that the second question will be who will take it when it does become available. There will be those who will choose not to be vaccinated.
Thank God that the shed blood of Jesus was given to wash away our sins if we avail ourselves of it and believe that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day. One must come to Christ, confess his sins, repent of those sins, believe in Jesus and His finished work on the cross to pay his sin debt, and receive Jesus into his heart as his Lord and Savior. That is God’s remedy for the sinner infected by a greater virus, the virus of sin.
Sin is far more widespread, contagious, and deadly than any Coronavirus. Though so many have contracted the virus and died, it is still a small percentage of the world’s population. Every person is born a sinner and is separated from God; every person is dead in sins, and every person will die physically just as they are already dead spiritually. Only Jesus can save sinners and give them eternal life and the forgiveness of sins. By Jesus victory over sin and death on the cross, the sting of sin has been removed.
This great plan of salvation was never devised by man. Notice the words that Holy Spirit uses: it was not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man. It is of God, from God, and through God. It is a spiritual birth. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:3, “Most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” He reiterated it and personalized it to Nicodemus and to every person in the world in John 3:7, “Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again.”
What is your choice? What is your decision? The clock of eternity is ticking and winding down. What you decide to do with Jesus determines your eternal destiny. So few people give thought to where they will spend eternity in heaven or in hell. The decision to receive Christ assures one of heaven, rejecting Christ assures one of hell. Praise God if you have received Him as your Lord and Savior for you are ready to live and ready to die. You are ready to stand before God because your name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life.
Have a blessed day and weekend. Stay safe and healthy, and be sure you are saved.
Dean
Dean Allen's Daily Devotional 