Daily Devotional | A Call to Salvation

Doreen Virtue was a best-selling author, who spent 20 years teaching New Age methods. But it was an encounter with God’s Word that transformed her life. “Reading the entire Bible changed everything,” Doreen said. “When I got to Deuteronomy 18:10–12, I encountered a list of sinful activities that included several I was practicing. I was broken, deeply shamed, and humbled. I dropped to my knees in shame and sorrow. ‘I’m so sorry, God!’ I kept wailing in repentance. ‘I didn’t know!’ On that very day I gave my life to Jesus as Lord and Savior.”

God’s Word has the power to call people directly to salvation. In Acts 8, the Lord sent Philip, one of the seven deacons chosen in Acts 6, to a roadside rendezvous with a eunuch who was the royal treasurer to the queen of Ethiopia. On his way home from Jerusalem, the eunuch was sitting in his chariot reading aloud from the book of Isaiah (v. 28). Philip approached him and asked if he understood what he was reading. When the eunuch admitted he didn’t know who the prophet was talking about, Philip did a Bible study with him, starting with Isaiah 53 (the passage in question) and shared the gospel (vv. 30–35). No doubt the eunuch had heard while in Jerusalem about the recent crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.

Rather dramatically, the eunuch immediately believed in the name of Christ and requested to be baptized (vv. 36–38). The Holy Spirit had clearly been working in this man’s heart. The Messianic prophecy of Isaiah 53 was on his mind. God also used an obedient, prepared Philip to explain the Word and help it all come together. The eunuch felt a clear call to saving faith and responded with joyful obedience (see Isa. 56:3–8).

>> Have you made the same choice as the Ethiopian eunuch? Going to church isn’t enough. Reading the Bible isn’t enough. We urge you to trust in Christ for salvation today!

Pray with Us

Dear God, if there is something I have missed about You and Your Word, open my eyes to the truth. If I need to repent, convict me. I want to believe in You and to have my sins covered in Your blood. Please forgive me and transform me.

BY Brad Baurain

Dr. Bradley Baurain is Associate Professor and Program Head of TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) at Moody Bible Institute. Bradley has the unique privilege of holding a degree from four different universities (including Moody). He has just published his first book, On Waiting Well. Bradley taught in China, Vietnam, the United States, and Canada. Bradley and his wife, Julia, have four children and reside in Northwest Indiana.