June 5 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Romans 10:1-17:

¹Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved.
²For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
³For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
⁴For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
⁵For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, That the man which doeth those things shall live by them.
⁶But the righteousness which is of faith speaketh on this wise, Say not in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from above:)
⁷Or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.)
⁸But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach;
⁹That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
¹⁰For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
¹¹For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.
¹²For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
¹³For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
¹⁴How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
¹⁵And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
¹⁶But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias [Isaiah] saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?
¹⁷So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Devotional

What a great privilege we have, that we may call upon the name of the Lord! What a precious promise is added here! A promise so important that the Holy Spirit had it recorded three times in Scripture. Joel, the prophet, after announcing the judgment of God, and calling the people to repentance, fore­tells the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and gives the above promise. The apostle Peter on the first day of Pentecost told the people, that this promise was fulfilled on that day. And Paul tells self-righteous Israel that there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek, and that the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him, and adds: "For whosoever shall call upon him shall be saved."

But we must call upon God, not only with our mouth, but from the heart. "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth."

The promise is salvation — salvation from sin, and death, and eternal damnation. And the promise is sure. Our text does not say, Perhaps, or maybe; but the promise is definite and precise: "Ye shall be saved." There is no doubt about it. And the promise is to whosoever shall call. No matter how great or how many your sins may be, if you call upon God from the heart, you shall be saved. God who cannot lie has spoken it.

Prayer

O God, help us to take Thee at Thy word. Grant us a childlike faith to believe all Thy promises. May we feel our need, and realize our dependence upon Thee. And then may we call upon Thee from the heart, and in all humility claim Thy promises, and be fully reassured that we have the petitions asked of Thee. For Jesus' sake. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:13; Matt. 15:8; Ps. 145:18.

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