I read in the book of Romans today and realized that (Romans 10:6-15, NKJV) changed my life. It says: Rom 10:6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “DO NOT SAY IN YOUR HEART, ‘WHO WILL ASCEND INTO HEAVEN?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
Rom 10:7 or, ” ‘WHO WILL DESCEND INTO THE ABYSS?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
Rom 10:8 But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
Rom 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Rom 10:10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
Rom 10:11 For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES ON HIM WILL NOT BE PUT TO SHAME.”
Rom 10:12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Rom 10:13 For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD SHALL BE SAVED.”
Rom 10:14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
Rom 10:15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO PREACH THE GOSPEL OF PEACE, WHO BRING GLAD TIDINGS OF GOOD THINGS!”
When I first heard the Gospel, it didn’t bring me peace. My pride reared up! “Who is she to say I’m a sinner?,” I grumbled.
Even though I was brought up as a Roman Catholic and I went to confession once a week for forgiveness of sins, I didn’t like hearing I was a sinner. And if I were perfectly honest, I didn’t make it home from confession without knowing I needed to turn around and go back. I had sisters and brothers with me that I argued with on the way home.
My classmate in high school told me that God wants relationship. What did that mean? She was in my homeroom, the first gathering for announcements and attendance taking. We were put in class by alphabetical order by our last name. I was a U, she was a V.
So, I pondered what she said that morning over the rest of the day. She too had been brought up Catholic. We both attended Parochial School until eighth grade.
One day, she told me she and her older sister prayed together. Talk about a foreign concept. “All my sister and I do is fight!”
We were old enough then; there was no pushing or the occasional kick. It turned into sarcasm and mean comments. “There’s no way we’ll ever pray together.”
I don’t remember how many weeks or months it may have taken, but she or possibly a neighbor gave me a slip of paper called a tract. It had a drawing of a heart wearing a crown of thorns, like Jesus wore, sitting on a throne. Two of the sentences: “Jesus wants to come into your heart. He wants to be your Lord and King,” jarred my innermost being.
As the author explained the love, the peace, the cleansing of my sin by the shed blood of Jesus Christ, repentance causing forgiveness immediately, every time I prayed, it boggled my mind! No waiting for the priest for my confession of daily, sometimes moment-by-moment sins that bogged me down! What freedom, what delight! No more guilt.
If my friend hadn’t told me about the Bible verses and her personal experience over all that time, I may not have come to salvation, granting a heavenly eternity through faith in Jesus Christ. It’s not easy being a follower of Jesus because of spiritual attacks from the enemy of our soul, but it’s the best decision I ever made.
Have you ever encountered a person proclaiming, “the gospel of peace”?
If so, what’s your story? (By the way, my sister got saved as well and as an adult, I went to a Bible study at her home!)
May God bless you and protect you from the fiery darts of the evil one.
