Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV)
“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. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Have you ever been asked by someone if you are with them or against them? Maybe you were asked to pick sides during an argument or a major disagreement at work? How about if you encounter a personal situation where you must decide for yourself what is right and what is wrong?
We all face these decisions every day from little things like how you speak during a disagreement to if you have somebody’s back in a serious situation. If you really think back, we have been choosing sides since our earliest memories. Do we listen to our parents, our teachers, or even who we decide to choose that we want as a friend.
For most people, once we hit their late teens that sense of belonging becomes more prominent. Our groups can become larger, life seems to get more complicated, and our decisions may have more meaning. Words like trust and respect are explored as we develop our sense of self and build new relationships. It’s not always easy to figure things out and it does not become any less complicated the older we get.
Have you noticed that our country, our communities, and even our families go through division? A simple disagreement with a brother, sister, mother, father, or someone else in your family can cause a rift that may take years to repair or maybe not at all. If you look at history, we can also see how social issues have torn communities apart or political issues have crumbled nations.
If you look around us, we can still see this happening today. For a people who are supposed to be one nation under God, we spend a lot of time dwelling on our differences rather than accepting them. We tout free speech only to spew words of hate to tear down rather than those of love to build up. We see adversity bring us together only to forget those acts of kindness that bound us together once the situation has passed.
This sense of dwelling on differences is not only confined to our everyday community life but invades of churches as well. We see so many denominations that are built more on the interpretations of man rather than the Word of God. In the Gospels, God sent His Son to remove the separation that began in the garden and bring His people back to Him.
Jesus showed us how to live, how to love, and how to forgive, but in the end how did we pay him back for these lessons? He was betrayed, abandoned, accused, humiliated, beaten, and crucified. Even after all this, God still did not forget about us and is the happiest ending we will ever know. Christ died for our sins as the final atoning sacrifice that was needed to forgive our sins.
God spent thousands of years prior to this pleading with man to turn from their wicked ways and return to him. However, we are hampered by free will and the sacrifices of the Old Testament were never enough to restore our relationship with God. This is why with Jesus we were given a new choice. If we believe in Him, we can receive eternal life and live with Him in His kingdom and not to be turned away at the gate.
This invitation is an open door to everyone and no matter what you have done you are still welcome. In Romans 10:9 we find this path to the Father. “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.” Confess our sins and believe in our hearts that He is truly Christ.
The choice we face is no more evident than when Christ was hanging on the cross to be crucified and His conversation with the two thieves that hung there with Him. In Luke 23:39 we hear the rebuke from the one on the left. Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” He wanted Christ to prove who he was.
How many of us have done this? God if you just get me out of trouble, I will believe in you or Christ show me that you are there, so I know if you are real. We can’t truly follow everything that Christ stands for if we are constantly looking for that proof. In Luke 23:40-43 we see the other thief understood and defended Christ and Jesus assured him of his destination.
“But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, “Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
Remember, faith in Christ is just that, faith. Many times, we may even profess to be a Christian, but still walk on a path that leads away from Christ and the plans He has for us. When we do, we may be choosing another destination other than with Him.
So, do you know which side you are on? Are you still looking for that proof before you commit or do you believe in your heart that Christ died for us to remove the separation for us to be with Him forever? Join me with our Lord Jesus Christ on the side of the Father and share his message of love and salvation. Also enjoy “Share His Love For All to Hear.”
SHARE HIS LOVE FOR ALL TO HEAR
As the morning sunrises I can see the lonely Hill in the distance,
Three crosses soon become visible standing there in silence.
The center one was where our Lord hung for crimes he did not commit,
His life cut short because to the ways of man He refused to submit.
The thief on the left spoke words to Him of ridicule and shame,
“If you are truly the Messiah then prove it and save us in your name.”
The other one accepted his fate and that he deserved to die,
Jesus had done nothing wrong so there was no reason why.
He asked to be remembered when He came into His kingdom,
Jesus assured him on that day he would be in paradise with Him.
We all have the same choice to deny what the Lord has done,
Or to accept His sacrifice to receive forgiveness from the Son
At Easter we take time to celebrate his gift to me and you,
That we will be with him forever when our time is through.
So faithfully walk with him every day not just this time of year,
Shine His light for others to see and Share His Love For All to Hear.
Simple Faith Christian
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Simple Faith Christian 