Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- November 1, 2012
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Matthew 7:21-23
There is a false religion that is absent of authentic faith in Jesus Christ. A person who lacks a real relationship with the Lord can know all the right words to say, but does not know the Word that became flesh. This fake follower of Jesus may mislead other church members, but they can’t deceive the ultimate judge—Almighty God. A desperate plea after death does not change an eternal conclusion determined in life. A false faith fails.
Therefore, we are all wise to examine our hearts and ask the Holy Spirit to validate our conversion to Christ. It is the Spirit of our Heavenly Father that drew us to Himself and it is the same Spirit of God that affirms our faith. We do not pass from death to life by just living in a household of faith—we come to Christ by taking hold of faith in Him. Our transaction of trust in Jesus seals our soul’s fate to be with Jesus. He keeps us secure.
“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:44
Are you a counterfeit follower of Christ or a true disciple? Are you sure of your salvation? If you are in doubt, seek out your Savior Jesus who can remove your concerns. Cry to Him in confession and repentance from your sin of unbelief and embrace your Lord in fidelity of faith. Just as marriage is a public commitment of a man and woman, so your conversion is a public commitment of your total trust in Jesus. Other sincere saints who humbly seek the Lord surround you in prayer and support, and God offers assurance.
So seek the Lord with an honest heart and He will keep you pure. The Holy Spirit is able to flush out false religion and replace it with genuine faith in Jesus. He is able to remove unscrupulous motives and exchange them for a motivation of love and obedience. Yes, examine your heart, but more importantly allow the Lord to do a spiritual examination. God validates your salvation on this side of death, so there are no surprises on the other side. So, confess Jesus as Lord now and there will be no doubt about your confession later.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
Prayer: Heavenly Father, I trust Jesus as Lord of my life and to save my soul.
Related Readings: Hosea 8:12; Romans 8:16; Ephesians 1:17; 1 John 3:24
Post/Tweet: Our transaction of trust in Jesus seals our soul’s fate to be with Jesus. He keeps us secure. #security
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Good article, but I think your ‘autocorrect’ changed the word conversion to conversation several times. Please check.
“A desperate plea after death does not change an eternal conclusion determined in life.” I respectfully disagree. It is easier to come to God here on Earth. (If you can imagine that!) A lot of times it’s so hard even for a believer because
our own will gets in the way so much. It’s even more difficult once in Eternity without a body and free roam to do, but not impossible. I had a bit of an epiphany this morning thanks to some quiet time with our Heavenly Father. I’m very thankful to be a Christian who gets to understand that God loves each and every soul- souls that are numbered like grains of sand. Has every grain of sand been exposed to the sun? No. Only a very small percentage. God has touched and made each and every grain of sand though, and not one is more important than another. How much more then, does He love each and every soul- the crown of His creation? Maybe here on Earth, a soul never had the chance to be exposed to the light of Gods love. Why? I don’t know. That answer is God’s. After all, it is said that the first shall be last and the last shall be first (maybe that has something to do with it). After Jesus died, He went to testify to the people who died in the flood during Noah’s time. Grace was extended to those individuals in Eternity. Why would it be any different today? How many have not been exposed to God’s love now and in generations past who are now in Eternity? How many have only been exposed to a false and humanly flawed Christianity, belief or way of life here on Earth? Who are we to judge? We dare not. Someone in a position of privilege has the ability- the duty- to embrace and lift up- never tear down. As Christians who have been exposed to God’s light, we have a very heavy honor placed on our shoulders that we need to look to God to carry. We are the ones who can confess and profess. We must. If we don’t, I’ve read and have been told that the rocks will grow voices. We are the ones scrutinized by those who are searching or aren’t even fully aware of what is available to them. We’re definitely not perfect and that can be seen. Does how much we love our Creator show though? God is love and grace. Love and grace is what we must be. It’s a tall order. Applying God’s love and grace though, it is attainable. We need to be the salt of Earth. We need to be light in the world. It can be tasted and seen even in Eternity. I hear it’s not as far away as we would think. There is still grace. There is still hope. There is still a future. Even in the Realms of Eternity. Service for the Departed is this Sunday. It’s a celebration. It’s a happy occasion! God’s grace transcends sin and death. He will give grace to whom He will give grace. We need to pray for everyone. No exceptions.
You use the word conversation twice. I think this is incorrect and the word should be conversion!!
I am blessed by your devotions, Boyd, and find many that are absolutely “spot on.” In this one, is it possible that in paragraphs 3 and 5 the word “conversation” was meant to be “conversion?” It would make more sense, and I mention it only because you publish these in book form, and I think you would want to know if auto-correct made a slight error. If I am in error, please accept my apologies.
Kat you are absolutely right, thanks for the heads up. We did make the correction on the blog and in the original writing. Have a blessed day!
A fellow servant for Jesus,
Boyd
We just completed a study of world religions in Sunday School. It is amazing how we can be so easily deceived and start believing something other than the full truth about God.
Thank you, I’ve corrected it in the post.