If you want to go to Rome, there are probably many roads you can take. At one time, all roads probably did lead to Rome during the time of the Roman Empire. In fact, from a video I watched (link below[i]), they had the opinion that all roads did lead to Rome at that time.
Today, I’d like to talk to you about roads that lead to salvation. Unlike roads to Rome, all roads do not lead to salvation. In fact, there is only one way to salvation. What is salvation? Salvation is being saved from the penalty of your sins. What is sin? Sin is anything done against or outside of God’s laws. You’ve heard of the Ten Commandments. Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, etc. The Bible says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23, NIV).” Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV) says, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. Sin separates us from God. But, the good news is, “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8, NIV). Who is Christ? You’ve probably heard of the verse John 3:16 (NIV) – “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Christ is God’s Son – Jesus Christ. God’s One and only begotten Son. Christmas is celebrated because of Him. Although, there are a lot of people who do not believe in Him and think Christmas is only a celebration of gift giving and family gatherings.
Some faiths direct you to work your way to salvation, some people don’t believe there is salvation. Others believe you have to both work your way to salvation and have Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. John 14:6 (NIV) says, “Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” and again, Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV), says, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” We cannot work our way to heaven, but we can receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior by receiving His free gift of salvation. You ask Jesus for forgiveness and turn away from sin, called repenting. Pray this prayer: “Lord Jesus, thank You for dying for me on the cross, shedding Your blood so I could be forgiven of my sins. Thank You for making a way for me to be with You in heaven when the time comes. Thank you that you rose from the dead and now sit next to the Father and pray for us. I receive You as my Lord and Savior. I ask You to come into my life. In Jesus’ Name I pray. Amen!”
Now what? Get involved at a local, Bible believing and preaching church, like our Northwood Church in Redwood Falls, MN, if you live nearby. Be around other believers, which is fellowship. Get a Bible and read it every day. Pray to God. Reading your Bible and praying to God and being in His presence is how we get to know who He is and how we need to live our lives. Start serving God in church and in your community.
He died for us, so, isn’t serving Him the least we can do? Time is short and we need to tell people about Jesus and how he died for us and made a way for us to go to heaven. Tell people you care about and know, and people you meet in the park or at the store. You just start a conversation and ask God to lead you through it. He will.
Thank you for reading this devotion. I hope you learned some things from it. I pray you received Jesus through it if you hadn’t already. God bless.
Pastor Vicky Conklin-Johnson
Prayer Ministries Pastor
[i] (All Roads Lead to Rome: The Roads of Ancient Rome. YouTube/World History Encyclopedia. https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=9e1bb62316de79ec669800939fd6e197b9d59502675f20bf7e9047ae81433bd7JmltdHM9MTczNjM4MDgwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=33a81247-169e-6955-012d-070b17f1687a&u=a1L3ZpZGVvcy9yaXZlcnZpZXcvcmVsYXRlZHZpZGVvP3E9dGhlK3JvYWRzK3RvK3JvbWUmbWlkPUJFMzA0RDFFMkZDQ0EyMDg2NkVGQkUzMDREMUUyRkNDQTIwODY2RUYmRk9STT1WSVJF&ntb=1)