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

Wednesday, March 29, 2017

"In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!' For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying: 'The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the LORD; Make His paths straight."'"¹

At the memorial service remembering the anniversary of the terrible abduction and murder of young Samantha Runnion, Bradley Scott, aged 4, had a question for Sheriff Mike Caronaâ€"the sheriff who was so emotionally involved in the capture of Samantha's killer. Bradley asked the sheriff how he could go to heaven without dying.

"That's an incredible question, pal," Carona replied. "Sorry, I don't have an answer."²

I can vividly remember as a kid how I believed the way to heaven was by being good. I figured that if I did enough good things to outweigh the bad things I did, that would satisfy God and I would go to heaven.

Wrong. In today's Scripture we read how John the Baptist was warning the people of ancient Israel that the long-promised Messiah (Jesus the Christ) was coming and to prepare El Camino Real (Spanish for the King's highway or the Highway of the King) for him. This was all about Jesus' first coming to die for our sins and that only through accepting him as our Savior and receiving his forgiveness could we get to heaven.

Today we, too, need to prepare El Camino Real for Jesus Christ's second coming to earth. Jesus himself promised his disciples and followers that if he went away (back to Heaven), which he did, that he would return for all his true followers. One of these days, the heavenly trumpet will sound announcing the climax of mankind's history with the coming again of Jesus, the Messiah, to take all his true followers to be with him in Heaven forever and ever.

I trust, dear reader, that you are safely on the heavenly Camino Realâ€"the King's Highwayâ€"knowing without a shadow of doubt that when Jesus comes, you will not be left behind, but on your way to Heaven to be with God for all eternity. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."³

Note: To be sure you are on the King's Highway read "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http://www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that You have provided the 'Camino Real' as mankind's only way to Heaven which is via the cross of Jesus who died to save me from my sins. Help me to know without a shadow of doubt that I have accepted Jesus as my Savior and am safely on the Highway of the King, bound for Heaven. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Matthew 3:2-3 (NKJV).
2. The Orange Country Register, July 16, 2003, p. Local 2.
3. John 14:6 (NIV).

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