Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today- April 13, 2011
“If you declare 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 profess your faith and are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
There is a very important distinction between heart knowledge and head knowledge. A person can know facts about God in their head, without applying this it to their heart by faith. A man or woman can hear all the right things, say the right things, attend church and still be 18 inches away from heaven—the distance between the head and the heart.
We can play church, masquerade our true heart to others and even fool ourselves, but God cannot be fooled. We can volunteer in ministry, give money and have the accolades from genuine Christians, but has our heart truly been transformed by the grace of God? Evidence of conversion is a public declaration of Jesus as Lord and an internal confession that God raised Him from the dead. A heart engaged with eternity is saved from sin.
“The Lord says: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is based on merely human rules they have been taught” (Isaiah 29:13).
Where are you on the continuum of your commitment to Christ? Are you still seeking? Have you crossed over the line of belief by bowing in humble submission to your Savior and Lord Jesus? Be honest with yourself and God if you have not given your heart to heaven. Pray for the Lord to help your unbelief and be bold to request prayer from others.
What life event will it take to lead you to authentic faith and repentance? Marriage? The birth of a child? The loss of a child? The loss of a parent? Health issues? Financial brokenness? When we are on our back, our heart looks to heaven for help. When we drop to our knees in humble prayer, we see the Lord lifted up and we invite His warm embrace.
Don’t fight the hang-ups in your head—instead surrender your heart to Jesus. The enemy will always find an excuse for your mind to reject the ability to have an eternal life in heaven. Do not dismiss childlike faith in Jesus for this is the entrance into His Kingdom. We are first born again with infant faith, and then we mature by grace and the truth of God’s word. Have you made this initial move of heart-felt faith? Take this first step of trust and start your walk with Jesus.
“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation” (Psalm 13:5).
What obstacle to faith do I need to lay at the feet of Jesus and trust Him?
Related Readings: Job 33:3; Psalm 21:2; Mark 7:6; John 3:3; 2 Timothy 1:9
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