February 24
How Are Sinners Saved?
“And shall not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto Him…?” —Luke 18:7
Read Luke 18:1-8
When we look at conversion, we must give our attention to two important aspects of it. Both of them come up in the parable of the prodigal son, and are found in the words: “I will arise and go to my father.” The words “arise” and “go” are central in this sentence. Do not stay put, but go in faith. Today’s parable puts more emphasis on what happened before, namely, prayer. The judge of our text was a brutal man who “feared not God, neither regarded man.” A widow was harassing him every day, demanding that he avenge her of her adversary. To be relieved of her constant nagging, finally he granted her request. The Lord Jesus gave the following explanation of this parable: If this unjust judge judged rightly merely to get rid of a nagging widow, shall not the righteous Judge procure justice for those who cry day and night unto Him?
Surely this Judge, the Lord Himself, will carry out justice. He obligated Himself when He said: “Ask, and it shall be given unto you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matt. 7:7). This righteous Judge will surely do justice. But are we calling to Him day and night? Are we serious in our endeavour to be saved? Are we constantly lifting our voices and eyes up unto heaven? Or do we think that we have called enough and that the Lord will not answer anyway. If that is true, then I fear that you underestimate the Lord and do not trust in Him at all. Think about your own life. Don’t you see that if the Lord does not save you in your great need, you will never be saved at all? Doesn’t this fact make you fearful? One thing is sure: If this knowledge sinks down into your heart, you will have no rest.
What does “pray without ceasing” actually mean?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.