If we are planning a trip to a foreign country, we need a passport, properly stamped.
Certain credentials are also required if we wish to be joyful in a world of fear and confusion. We need to obtain a passport which will allow us access to the Promised Land of all the Christian life should be.
The Bible tells us "If you confess with your mouth 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Rom.10:9). Not only are we to acknowledge to others our belief in Jesus as the risen Lord, we must believe it in our hearts. In other words, the Christian faith is not just a matter of lip service, our faith must produce a changed heart.
So when we make our confession of faith in Jesus Christ a matter of the heart, Jesus sets us free from all guilt and condemnation. He stamps us with His blood and we are forgiven. The Bible says "Without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness" (Heb.9:22). Therefore WITHthe shedding of blood there IS forgiveness of sin.
What we say is important. Jesus said, "Whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of Man be ashamed when He shall come in his own glory" (Luke 9:26). We must never be embarrassed to speak about Jesus. The words we speak eiher save us or destroy us. Either we acknowledge Jesus as our Lord, or we choose a self-made life. That is the choice each of us must make. Do we want joy or despair, happiness or sadness? We have been given a free will to choose. We can talk toward joy or talk toward depression. We can talk eternal life or we can talk suicide. We cannot enter the kingdom of God unless our passport is properly stamped.
Joshua said, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord" (Josh.24:15). When you and I make that choice, let us make sure we use the tools He provides for an overcoming life. He is the Truth (John 14:6), and we can gird our loins with truth to ward off evil (Eph.6:14). If we know the truth about God, others, and ourselves, then we will not listen to the lies of the enemy (John 8:44). The joy of the Lord will be our strength (Neh.8:10) and we will be physically and spiritually strengthened to bring joy to those around us regardless of circumstances.
There is a cost involved to get this passport. We must become a disciple of Jesus, not just a believer. We are to serve Him. Then we will show love, even to our enemies (Matt.5:44).
The cost of the passport to the Promised Land where we can find peace and joy is too high for many sinners to pay. That is because they prefer to be their own lord instead of allowing Jesus Christ to be their Lord. If we claim to be a Christian, let us be certain that our passport to the new life is stamped with the blood of Jesus. Then we will be more than believers--we will be disciples who are willing to follow Him.
© 1999, Doreen Palmer