Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.
--Revelation 3:20
Today, I’d like to give you a test so you can evaluate where you are spiritually.
Question number one is, is prayer a passion in your life? If you’re really fired up for the Lord, prayer will not be drudgery… it won’t be a duty. It will be an ongoing, exciting conversation you have with God day by day.
Question number two is, do you love the Word of God? I believe if your heart is hot towards God, you’ll look forward to meeting Him in the Scriptures. You’ll look forward to hearing the Word of God preached. And you’ll carve out time every day to read the Bible.
Question number three is, do you hate the sin in your life? Do you hate the things that God hates? When your heart is hot for God, you will weep at those things that make God weep… and you will rejoice over those things that cause God to rejoice.
Question number four is, do you long for the return of Christ? In the heart of every Christian who is passionately pursuing Christ is a longing for His return… there’s a longing to see Him face to face. So are you excited about seeing Him? Or would you be ashamed if He returned today?
The fifth and final question is, do you obey Christ? Is it your heart’s desire to please God in every single area in your life? In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.”
So let me ask you: What’s your spiritual temperature? Are you hot… cold… or lukewarm?
Today… if you know that your heart is cold or lukewarm… it’s my prayer—and my challenge—to you to answer that knocking at the door of your heart.
OPEN UP THAT DOOR…LET JESUS IN…AND ENJOY THE PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP HE’S PROVIDED FOR YOU THROUGH HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION!
The Necessity of Salvation
Friday, October 04, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”
Acts 4:10–12
The evangelist D. L. Moody told of going into a business on the East Coast and seeing a telegram framed on the wall behind the counter. When he asked about it, he was told this story. One of the owners of the business had been on a ship that wrecked off the coast of Newfoundland. In the first reports, he was listed among those who had perished in the wreck. The store was closed in mourning, and a sign posted that shared the sad news. But the next day his partner received a telegram with a single word: “Saved.” The store reopened with great rejoicing and the telegram was framed and permanently displayed in celebration.
Every one of us was born as a sinner. While our society may go to great lengths to deny that men and women need a Saviour, God’s Word makes it clear that we are hopeless without Him—as Peter put it: “we must be saved.” To meet that need, God sent Jesus into the world. After living a perfect life, and thus not owing a penalty for sin, Jesus died on the cross as a substitutionary sacrifice. By coming to Him in faith and trusting Him alone for salvation, we too can be saved. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).
Today's Growth Principle:
We are powerless to save ourselves, but Jesus freely offers us salvation through His sacrifice.
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