If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. Romans 10:9-10
I remember one of the most exciting times in elementary school was when we’d hop on a bus to go to a local church for what was called Religious Release. Wonderful ladies would have these felt figures and flannel boards that would have me engrossed in a story from the Bible. Then, they always had a treasure chest, and if your seat was called, you got to pick something out. I get excited just thinking about it today! Those ladies knew kids and how to keep their attention. That’s wisdom!
The character trait for today is Wisdom-making practical application of truth in daily decisions (definition from characterfirst.com).
We had a closing prayer every time before heading back to the school. I always went to Sunday school and church, but I never heard that prayer asking Jesus into our hearts before. I know now that it is called the sinner’s prayer or the salvation prayer. There isn’t an actual prayer for that in the Bible, but it’s based off of Romans 10:9-10.I always felt a warm feeling come over me whenever we had the chance to ask Jesus to come into our lives and hearts.
It’s awesome to have the ability to confess our sins, invite Him in, and to know that we’re never, ever alone again. It’s not something we have to ask for over and over again because one time is enough. No begging necessary…just repent, believe, and receive! It isn’t about the exact words, it’s about what is in our hearts and being genuinely repentant. Isn’t that amazing?
Here’s Billy Graham’s that could guide one that doesn’t have the words, but has the desire and faith to ask Jesus to come live in their heart: “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. In Your Name. Amen.”
I’ll never forget the joy when my own two boys wanted Jesus to come live in their hearts. I love knowing that they’ll enter the kingdom of heaven. It’s a time of celebration when we know we’ll be living our lives with our own personal guide! A guide to give us the wisdom we need in applying our character traits in daily life.
Thank you for going on this journey of character growth. I can’t ask my children to do something I’m unwilling to do, so here’s an acrostic poem that I made for us. I challenge you to grow in wisdom with our character traits and be:
Willing to keep your mind open to new ideas.
Increasing in knowledge on a daily basis.
Strategically focused on the course we’ve set.
Determined to lift others up while not being pulled down.
Opened in your heart to hear God’s word.
Motivating ourselves with an optimistic outlook.
