DAILY DEVOTION, May 22, 2022

 That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10).

This is another of the great verses giving us clear directions on how to receive salvation. It begins with the words we speak. We are not to say these words casually but with heartfelt conviction. To confess Jesus as Lord is to believe that He is God the Son. It states our intention to follow Him as our Lord (Master). Some confess Jesus as Lord with little understanding of what that means. We should never speak those words lightly but from the heart.

Then Paul adds that we are to believe in our hearts that God raised Him from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus was the final proof that He is the Son of God, Savior, and Lord. I was taught in theological seminary that no intelligent person believes Jesus actually rose from the dead. I was told the resurrection was a myth invented by the early Christians to give more status to Jesus. I assumed my professors knew what they were talking about, and so for several years, I rejected the resurrection of Jesus. I did not understand that failure to believe that Jesus rose from the dead is a fatal error. One cannot deny the resurrection and remain a  redeemed soul.

Paul tells us that the words we speak and what we believe in our hearts must be in harmony. The good news is this. If you do confess (with understanding) that Jesus is Lord, and you do believe in your heart (with utter sincerity) He rose from the dead, you will most certainly be saved. That is God’s promise to us, and God never lies.

Prayer: Father, I thank You that You have repeatedly stated the way of salvation. I do confess to You and to the world that Jesus is my Lord. I do believe with all my heart that He triumphed over the grave. Thank You for Your precious gift to me. In Jesus’ name, I give You thanks, Amen

Marie’s daily verse: The Lord is my rock, my fortress(B) and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge,

    my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2).

DAILY DEVOTION, May 21, 2022

But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was ^]bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes^[ we are healed.
All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, everyone, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all (Isaiah 53:5-6).

Isaiah wrote these words hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus. God revealed to Isaiah His plan to redeem sinners. Some have referred to Isaiah as the 5^th Gospel. It is hard to read these words and not see the hand of God. God revealed how He planned to save a lost world. Jesus came for us. We are the transgressors; We are the ones guilty of iniquity. Jesus took our punishment. He bore our judgment.

The healing referred to in the text is most certainly the healing of our sins. We have gone astray, and our iniquities were laid upon Him, upon Jesus. How amazing is the love of God that He would go to this extreme to redeem us!  Why did He suffer the injustice of the cross? “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.”

I look at my life, and I see so much sin and failure. I look at the world, and I see wholesale rebellion against God. How can we ever find salvation? Thankfully, it doesn’t depend on us. God has acted to redeem us. He asks us to trust in His Son.

Lord Jesus, only-begotten Son of the Father, how can I ever thank you for what You have done for me? When I consider the suffering You endured, realizing that You were acting on my behalf, words fail me. It was my sins that nailed You to the cross, and You did it for me and for the world. How great is Your love for us! I thank You, we thank You, for saving us. In Jesus’ name, we offer up our gratitude, Amen