Daily Encounter: A Week-day Devotional by a staff of ACTS International.

Wednesday, August 29, 2018

"Then he brought them out and asked, 'Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' They replied, 'Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, along with everyone in your household.'"¹

A few years ago, three young tourists when visiting Yosemite National Park were swept over the 317-foot Vernal Fall. One of the tourists, a young woman, was no doubt drawn by the alluring beauty of the raging waterfall and the fast moving Merced River below after a record winter snowfall. Tragically she slipped on a rock above the falls. Two friends reached out to rescue her and the trio was swept over the edge.

At the bottom of the trail leading to the Vernal Falls there is a sign warning about the fast moving water. Also, when entering the Yosemite Park, visitors are given a news paper warning about water hazards and to stay away from fast moving water.

Furthermore, at the top of the Vernal Fall there is a guard railing and a metal safety barricade marked with a warning. Tragically the victims of this tragedy ignored all the warning signs, climbed over the barricade, and fell to a horrific death.²

How foolish we say, and yet, I wonder how many warnings in life we ignore. The greatest tragedy of all is when we ignore all the warnings in God's Word, the Bibleâ€"and especially so if we ignore God's warnings about life after death.

For example God's Word reminds us that "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment [of God]."³

Furthermore, as God said to the nation of Israel, the same applies to every one of us: "Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel … prepare to meet your God."⁴

And to Christians: "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."⁵ Yes, this word is for Christians. We will not be judged for our sins because Jesus paid that judgment price on the cross for us when he died in our place. But we will be judged on the basis of how faithfully we have served God since we became Christiansâ€"and be rewarded accordingly.

Again, in the words of Jesus: "And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell."⁶

Whatever you do, do not be like the tourists who disregarded all the warning signs in the Yosemite National Park and fell to a horrific death, and disregard God's repeated warnings, and ignore God's only remedy to assure us from a lost and hopeless eternity in hellâ€"which is to "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved."¹

For help be sure to read the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please open the eyes of my understanding so that I will clearly see all your warnings in your Word, and give me the wisdom to accept your gift of forgiveness for all my sins and with this the gift of eternal life to be with you in heaven forever. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Acts 16:30-31 (NLT).
2. http://tinyurl.com/3oea8tl
3. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).
4. Amos 4:12 (NKJV).
5. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV).
6. Matthew 10:28 (NKJV).

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