For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Jesus Saves – What A Savior!
I still remember that cold Christmas night when my visiting aunt came into my room before I went to bed and shared the Gospel with me. I was only twelve years old and had only been to church nominally my entire life. I didn’t know anything about Jesus. I had never even opened a bible. In my very limited experience, churches were buildings we passed by en route to other places. And praying to God? Not me.
Jesus Saves Even When We Aren’t Searching
But this is the miraculous part of this story. Even though I knew nothing about Christianity or Christians, when my aunt opened the bible and shared this passage from John with me, something inside of me came alive. She asked me if I understood that I was a sinner and needed to repent. I said yes. She then guided me in prayer as I, for the first time ever, asked God to forgive me, to save me, and to let me become part of his forever family.
God Prepares The Heart To Believe
The wonder of this long ago Christmas night was that looking back; I now know God had mercifully prepared my heart to receive his free gift of salvation. What a Savior! Even today, some fifty-plus years later, I am in awe of his goodness to me.
Never Stop Interceding For Those You Love
We all have beloved family and friends for whom we pray for salvation. Some of us have been interceding for years for the same individuals. It’s so easy to grow discouraged when year after year passes and we don’t see those we love coming to Christ. It’s hard to keep praying for the same requests, day after day, week after week, and year after year. But we don’t give up.
Never Underestimate Our Powerful God
What we have to do is this: remember that God will never lose one of his own. Even though our specific prayers may seem to go unanswered today, we have no idea what God may do tomorrow. As believers living in a fallen world, our sight is limited whereas God’s is all-seeing. He is in our past, our present, and our future. God so loved us that he sent Jesus to die for our sins. What a Savior!
Prayer Is The Hard Work
As Scripture says, let us not neglect to do good (praying) while we still have the opportunity. So today, if you’re feeling discouraged about your unbelieving family and friends, remember that God is in his heavens looking down and he is hearing your every heart’s cry in prayer. He hears. He will answer.
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