Tag: call on the Lord
Day 2–Calling on the Lord
Scripture reading for January 20: Genesis 4:26 “To Seth also a son was born, and he called His name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the Name of the Lord.”
The emergency contact system in our country is organized around our phone system. Almost everyone has cell phones and can be contacted at anytime. The 911 Emergency call center in each county or municipality is manned at all times by trained listeners. They answer the calls for help and ask pertinent questions to determine the location of the individual and the nature of their problem. They then contact the appropriate emergency personnel to assist in a timely manner. So we might say that in our culture when in an emergency, call ‘911’ for a dependable response.
God encourages His children to call upon Him in the time of trouble. (Psalm 50:15) He says that honors Him and He will deliver us. We see from today’s Scripture taken from Genesis that after Cain killed Abel, Seth was born to Adam and Eve as another child who could walk by faith. Seth had a son, Enosh and it is recorded that during his life, people began to call on the Name of the Lord. It appears that Adam and Eve began to train their children and grandchildren, those who would humbly listen, that they needed to always ask God for their needs and become people who prayed.
God wants each person to know Him personally and learn to personally call on Him. God revealed His Name to many of the early men and women as answers to their cries for assistance. Genesis 21:17-18 describes how Hagar and her young son Ishmael were sent into the desert and cried out to God. “Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is,” was God’s reply. He is the God Who hears.
As responders, we must always live in humble dependence that God is involved in each incident and knows each person involved. I always call out to God as I respond for the wisdom that I and the other responders will need. I ask for direction and the provision to effectively help the hurting. Even though ‘911’ may have helped direct, I know that God is over all.
Prayer: Father God, thank You for always hearing and answering the cries of Your people. What a comfort for us to be able to call upon You in each incident. Amen.
Mercy triumphs over judgment!
Scripture reading for May 30th: Romans 11, Psalm 107, Proverbs 14
Romans 11: 32-36 “For God has consigned all to disobedience, that He may have mercy on all. Oh, the depth of the riches and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to Him that He might be repaid?” For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever. Amen.”
Paul ends his discourse on his desire for the salvation of his own people, the Jews, with this summary and worship. God’s wisdom is wiser than any human wisdom. His knowledge and understanding of man and his deepest needs stretches human ability to comprehend. Because of the darkness of sin over the human mind and soul, there is no man who has not sinned and who is able to advise God! There is nothing we can do or give to God to repay Him, because He has created it all and owns it all! All we can do is worship Him for His amazing grace and His work on our behalf through creation and the cross!
Psalm 107:19-21 “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and He delivered them from their distress. He sent out His Word and healed them, and delivered them from their destruction. Let them thank the Lord for His steadfast love, for His wondrous works to the children of man!”
Prayer: Father God, thank You for hearing my cry and the cries of the disobedient and hurting throughout our history. Thank You for providing the answer to my greatest need, Your mercy given as a gift of grace through Your Son Jesus Christ! I humbly accept all You have provided and honor You with holy reverence and worship! Let Your kingdom come and Your will be done for all who call upon Your Name! Amen!
Proverbs 14:30 “A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.”
Take care of your soul!
Scripture reading for October 16th: Isaiah 53-56, Hebrews 3
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 3:12-14 “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.”
The writer of Hebrews gave a pastoral warning to the members of the church. The sin of unbelief can take us away from Christ and cause eternal loss. Unbelief is deceitful and subtle. We must watch over our own soul and one another. Confidence in Christ must be maintained.
Isaiah 55:10-11 “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon.”
Prayer: Lord, thank You for Your great mercy and for Your pastoral care for my soul and Your church. Help me to be careful and watchful, maintaining confidence in Christ’s sacrifice for me. Amen.
Call on the Lord and be saved!
Scripture reading for November 21st: Romans 9-11
There are some people in religious circles who believe in universal salvation. In other words, God is good and He would never send anyone to hell. However, this is not the teaching of the Scripture! Paul explained in Romans 9-11 how God plans to save the Jews. They were a religious people who had the right of adoption as sons, the covenants, the law, temple worship, and all the promises. Although they had all this, they still needed to come to God for salvation!
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13
Salvation begins in the heart. It is with the heart that we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. We believe that He died for our sins on the cross as the Son of God, descended from Abraham. We believe in God’s mercy through Christ, not in our works. Our believing is counted as righteousness because of what Christ has provided through His death, burial and resurrection.
When we believe in our heart, we can confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord! Confession is not a work that we must do. It is the natural flow of a heart that believes and is fully persuaded about Jesus Christ! It is an outworking of faith.
Faith puts both Jew and Gentile on the same level at the foot of the cross. Believing opens the door to all who will call on the Lord for saving! In this manner, all will be saved who call on the Lord! If you will not believe and confess Jesus as Lord, you will be lost eternally! If you have called on Jesus for salvation, take time and thank Him for His marvelous gift. If not, today is a great day to do so!
Reaching the Jews!
Scripture reading for July 27th: Romans 10:13-11:12
God’s plan for reaching His people, the Jews, was the same as reaching the Gentiles. “Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved.” “How, then, can they call on the One they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the One of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” (Romans 10:13-14) Both Jew and Gentile must believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and One who took their penalty for broken law. They must call on Jesus in faith and they will be saved.
It is a very simple Gospel message that must be heard by those who need it. The way God chose to send this message was through those who did believe. These would preach this message to the Jews and Gentiles who did not know about it. “For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.” (1st Corinthians 1:21)
But hearing the message alone was not enough for salvation. Many Jews heard the message but did not accept it. Faith comes by hearing the message, but believing is a choice, not something forced upon people. God sent His messengers throughout the world to preach the message. Jews heard it, but they were stubborn and obstinate and refused to believe and act on it. (Romans 10:16-21) God opened the hearts of the Gentiles and many of them received.
Next, Paul addressed the concern that because of their stubbornness, God had rejected His people. Paul stated that God had not and that a remnant was saved by grace through receiving the message of Christ. Those that closed their hearts were made blind and dull. They could always repent and turn back. God’s plan was to save the Gentiles and through their blessing, provoke the Israelites to jealousy and a return to faith through Jesus Christ. (Romans 10:11-12)
The Church should always pray for the Jews and be ready to share Christ with them. God has not rejected Israel. They have a blindness that can be cured by faith in their Messiah, Jesus Christ. We have received the riches of God’s grace because of their stubbornness, but not to boast! May God bring peace to Jerusalem! (Psalm 122:6-9)
Everyone who calls on the Lord!
Scripture reading for November 20st: Romans 9-11
There are some people in religious circles who believe in universal salvation. They contend that God is good and He would never send anyone to hell. However, this is not the teaching of the Scripture! Paul explained in Romans 9-11 how God plans to save the Jews and the Gentiles by faith in His Son Jesus Christ!
“That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in Him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile–the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:9-13
Salvation begins in the heart. It is with the heart that we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and that God raised Him from the dead. We believe that He died for our sins on the cross as the Son of God. We simply believe in God’s mercy through Christ, not in our works. When we believe, we are justified by faith just like Abraham and Sarah. Our believing is counted as righteousness to us because of what Christ has provided in His death, burial and resurrection.
When we believe in our heart, we confess with our mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord! Confession is not a work that we must do. It is the natural flow of a heart that believes and is fully persuaded about Jesus Christ! It is an outworking of faith. We confess Jesus as Lord and choose to live in submission to Him and His word.
Faith puts both Jew and Gentile on the same level ground at the foot of the cross of Jesus Christ. All who call on the Lord will be saved! If you refuse to believe and confess Jesus as Lord, you will be lost eternally! If you have called on Jesus for salvation, take time and thank Him for His marvelous gift. If not, today is a great day to do so! It’s available to everyone who will! That’s universal salvation!