Week Twenty-Four, 2025
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. Romans 10:9
We live in a very materialistic world. It seems that importance is based on power, position and financial accumulation. Value is judged by where you live, what you drive and where you work. In the end, he who has the most toys wins.
As of the fourth quarter of 2024, Americans collectively hold $1.211 trillion in credit card debt, which is a record high. This represents a significant increase from the pre-pandemic record of $927 billion in Q4 2019, a rise of $284 billion. Last year, Americans spent $3.2 trillion on their credit cards.
Once, cash was king, but now it is credit, because you don’t have to pay for it immediately when you spend it. This allows people to spend beyond their means to get what they want. Only 16% of all transactions are paid for in cash.
The world largely operates on credit. People get dressed in clothes they haven’t paid for and drive cars that aren’t paid for, all to arrive at a job. They work to pay for those clothes and cars, yet their homes often sit vacant all day because they can’t genuinely afford to live in them – all often to impress others.
As I recently stood in line to check out a purchase, I saw the sign that said, “No Cash Accepted.”
Contrast all of that to the admission price to get into heaven. If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that Jesus is Lord, then you will be saved. No cash, power or position will get you in. Heaven is a cashless place and credit cards aren’t accepted either.
Romans 10:9 outlines a two-part condition for salvation: a public confession of faith in Jesus as Lord and a genuine, heartfelt belief in the resurrection. Confessing Jesus as Lord acknowledges his authority and divinity, while believing in the resurrection recognizes the central truth of the gospel.
The relationship is ultimately personal between you and God. It doesn’t matter who you were or what you had; what truly matters is whose you are, and for this admission, no cash is accepted.
Sometimes True Stories
“You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that and shudder.” (James 2:19) Mere intellectual belief in God’s existence is insufficient for salvation. Demons recognize God’s power and existence, but their acknowledgement doesn’t lead to salvation, only fear and trembling. With wisdom comes the understanding that mere belief in God is not enough for salvation. We must first believe and then receive the gift of salvation to become children of God. Having intellectual agreement with Christian doctrine is important, but there has to be a time when we receive God’s gift of grace — not that we’ve earned it or merit it or deserve it — but receive this free gift of forgiveness and eternal life that Jesus purchased on the cross for us.
Believe + Receive = Become, a child of God! Tony Ferguson
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A Lutheran pastor preaching on Jesus’ encounter with Mary and Martha in Luke 10, declared that our Lord got it wrong. In his (very erroneous) interpretation, Jesus’ commendation of Mary for sitting at his feet and listening to his teaching (vv. 39–42) denigrated women, consigned them to silence, and denied them their proper leadership roles.
The pastor offered our Lord a caveat, however: “I really hope that it was the writer Luke who just put it on Jesus’ lips.” (This, of course, raises enormous issues regarding the integrity and authority of Scripture.) But assuming that Jesus spoke these words, the minister declared: “Jesus needed to have his worldview, and the purview of his goodness expanded. . . . Jesus needed to learn his lesson and stand corrected.”
He went on to assert that the passage, which he claimed was initially used to silence women, has been employed over the centuries to elevate the importance of theological education and engagement for them.
Then he declared, “Take that Luke, or Jesus, or whoever.” If the enemy can convince us to question God’s word and character, he (Satan) opens the door to every other lie he wants us to believe.
Quotes You Can Use
Music is a higher revelation than all wisdom and philosophy. Ludwig van Beethoven
There are dark shadows on the earth, but its lights are stronger in the contrast. Charles Dickens
Doctors’ Law – If you don’t feel well, make an appointment to go to the doctor; by the time you get there, you’ll feel better. But don’t make an appointment and you’ll stay sick.
When we consider who God is and what He has done for us, how can we do less than offer Him our best? Dan Shock
Get the millstones ready for all those who are responsible for abusing children…there seems a special place for such people, and I don’t envy anyone who ends up there. Dwight Short
Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Quincy Adams
Friends are the siblings God never gave us. Mencius
Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people. Proverbs 14:34
It is frightening to realize that if a man persists in that path God has warned him against, the day will come when God gives him one final call. Dan Shock
For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone. Audrey Hepburn
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. Albert Einstein
The risen Lord is full of compassion and grace, transforming those who hear His voice. Edgar Aponte
AI does what the brain cannot do to free up the brain to do what the brain only can do.
It is through gratitude for the present moment that the spiritual dimension of life opens up. Eckhart Tolle
There is power in the Name of Jesus to both heal and save through your witness. Edgar Aponte
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