Are You a "Whoever?"

Are You a "Whoever?"

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life

John 3:16, NKJ.

TODAY’S WORD

When God sent His Son to earth, He opened the door of salvation to whoever would believe. That means anyone can become a child of His and have everlasting life! Isn’t it good that He didn’t just come to save certain kinds of people? Aren’t you glad He doesn’t have a bunch of rules and conditions for salvation?

Before Jesus came, people had to observe many laws in order to be holy enough to go into God’s temple. They were constantly performing sacrifices to pay for their sins just so they could be around the presence of God. Even then, their sins were only covered up. They were still there. But when Jesus came, He was the final sacrifice. His blood doesn’t just cover our sins; it washes them away! Now, instead of going to the temple to be near God, the Bible says we are the temple, and He chooses to live inside of us!

Today, thank God for His mercy and for extending the gift of salvation to whoever believes in Him. If you’ve never asked Jesus to be the Lord of your life, there’s no better way to start the New Year! Choose Him and choose life and start the year off right!

PRAYER FOR TODAY

Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son, Jesus into this earth so that I can be free. Thank You for opening the door to eternal life. I accept the sacrifice Jesus paid so that I can be free. Come into my heart. I confess that You are my Lord and Savior in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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3 Steps Toward Spiritual Growth

by Rick Warren

I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. John 12:24 (NIV)

When you think about your walk with Jesus, some days you may wonder, “Why is this so hard? I’m still struggling with so many problems. When will I finally get it right?”

In my journey as a pastor, I’ve learned spiritual growth is often like the growth we see in nature — the best fruit ripens slowly. In John 12:24, Jesus says, “I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds.” (John 12:24, NIV)

The problem is we tend to get impatient, so we dig up the seed to check the progress of its growth, and that slows down our growth! If you’re not seeing as much fruit as you’d like, don’t despair. Growth takes time.

Talk about it –

Try these steps toward spiritual growth:

• Nurture growth with God’s Word — I know you’re already doing this, but when you read the promises of God, again and again, it helps you remember that he is at work, even when you can’t see him at work: “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)

• Cooperate with God as he prunes — Praise God for the work he’s doing in your life, remembering “he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more.” (John 15:2, NLT)

• Pray through the ‘fruit list’ — Pray through the ‘fruit list’ from Galatians 5:22-23. The NIV Bible lists the fruit as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Ask God to help you grow this fruit in your life.