Hey Clawson Family!

Song: 

Scripture:

 John 3:16

For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.

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 Acts 16:31

They replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household."

 Romans 10:9

9 If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

James 2:19

19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.[a] Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.

Devotional:

In the book of John, Jesus tells Nicodemus the famous memory verse John 3:16. In the book of Acts, Paul and Silas tell the Philippian jailer, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. According to the book of Romans, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

If you just read these and do not understand the whole meaning, it would be easy to conclude that believing in Jesus is all that’s involved in becoming a Christian. We do indeed need to believe but also understand what the Bible means by belief. When Jesus called Nicodemus to believe in Him, he called him to be born again—to begin an entirely new life devoted to following Him.

When the Philippian jailer believed in Christ, he knew he was joining a community of Christians who were being beaten, flogged, and imprisoned for their faith. The cost of following Christ was clear. In the same way, Paul told the Roman Christians that to believe in the saving resurrection of Jesus from the dead was to confess Jesus’ sovereign lordship over their lives.

In these verses (and scores of others like them), belief in Jesus for salvation involves far more than merely believing. Even the demons believe that Jesus is the crucified and resurrected Son of God. So, “belief” clearly doesn’t save anyone. We all can publicly profess beliefs we don’t hold, but only those who are obedient to Christ's words will enter His Kingdom. If our lives do not reflect the fruit of following Jesus, then we are foolish to think we are His followers.

Journal:

In your journal today, write down your salvation story! Thank God for saving you! What fruits do you have that reflect you are following Jesus?

Training:

Thank God that His salvation is all a work of grace. Ask Him to continue to produce spiritual fruit in you by His Spirit.