MONDAY August 21, 2023

A Desperate Cry for Salvation

Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
Acts 16:29-30

In the eerie darkness, the jailer called for a light. As he ran in, he fell down before Paul, obviously shaken from the earthquake, and trembling because he almost had taken his life. Imagine the tremendous amount of emotion he experienced with his adrenaline pumping through his veins. As the keeper of the jail brought them out of their cell, he desperately cried out for salvation: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

Previously, the jailer had witnessed the apostles’ joy, despite their beatings and persecution. He had heard them praying and singing to God. Through their good testimony and the reality of God miraculously working on their behalf, the jailer was so ready to be converted to Christ. A sinner saw his need for salvation.

His question to the apostles is the most important question a person can ever ask. If you are not saved, do you understand your desperate need for salvation? God is working on your behalf to bring you to a point where you can realize you need Him for your salvation. Know this: without Christ you will die in your sins (John 8:24). You will not go to heaven or inherit eternal life. Why perish? God has given you a way out through Christ.

If you are saved, when someone asks you, “What must I do to be saved?” be able to give them a simple answer from the Scriptures. Paul said to the jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved...” (Acts 16:31). Knowing the Scriptures will help you explain the way of salvation to those who ask.

When Jesus invites us to believe in Him, He invites us to simply trust who He is and what He has done for us. So, it follows that the words faith and trust are the active ingredients of our belief in Christ. Salvation comes when the sinner recognizes his sin, confesses it to God and turns away from it, and puts his trust in Jesus as Savior.
~Billy Graham~

For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!