Their Need

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:23

Today’s passages are part of a memory assignment in the Christian Life & Witness program that I’m participating in. The class is part of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and was designed to help participants prepare their hearts and minds for a large evangelical event that will take place in our community this fall. The course was created to teach participants how to better witness to others and to understand the responsibility we have to personally be prepared to share the reason for the Hope that we have in Christ Jesus, and to do it with gentleness and respect.

In God’s perfect timing, I was awake at 2am the other day and began reading through the material for the course. I rehearsed both passages and was greatly inspired by the other material in the workbook. Later that day I was talking with a loved one and our coversation ending up being about our beliefs.

My loved one and I do not share the same faith and as I listened to her describe what she believed I was also given the opportunity to share today’s verses. She was stunned when I told her that I deserved death for the sins that I’ve committed. I explained that death is separation from God, but because Jesus paid the penalty for my sins on the cross and rose from the grave, defeating sin and death, I have the opportunity to experience His saving grace if I accept the sacrifice He made and choose to acknowlege Him as my Lord and Savior.

She believes that Jesus’ death on the cross opened the door to resurrection, but that she needs to work our her salvation. Her heavenly destiny will be based upon her works and her obedience to the requirements of her religion.

That belief makes her eternal outcome all about her performance here on earth and has created a heavy burden that she was never meant to carry, her own salvation. That belief blinds her of her need for the Savior and prevents her from experiencing the freedom, grace and mercy that Jesus offers through a personal relationship with Him.

The topic for this month in the Daughter of The King – Blessed is She Who Believes book, is Blessed are the Poor in Spirit. To be poor in spirit means that we recognize our utter spiritual bankruptcy before God. We understand that we have absolutely nothing of worth to offer Him and that no amount of good works or deeds will be able to save us. Being poor in spirit is admitting that, because of our sin, we are completely destitute spiritually and we desperately need a Savior.

The poor in spirit understand their need for Christ and have confessed their sins, asked for forgiveness, turned from their sins and asked Jesus to be their Lord and Savior who will guide and direct them.  

If you know that you are spiritually poor without Jesus and that you need the redemption that His sacrifice on the cross provided, with a sincere heart pray the words below and receive His amazing grace.

Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. Amen.

As believers, we will receive the kingdom of heaven which is an eternal quality of life with God in this life and eternity in heaven with God in the next. Lord Jesus, please help my loved ones to see their need for You. Help them to throw off the burdens that religion has placed on them and experience the freedom and joy of a relationship with You now, in this life, and the assurance of eternity in paradise with You in the next, which is what the Good News of the Gospel is all about. In the precious name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.