Move Fast to Do Good and Accept Salvation
By Rick Warren
“Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them” Proverbs 3:27 (NLT)
We’ve talked for the last couple of days about when to move fast in response to God’s Spirit. Here’s what we’ve said so far: Obey quickly when God tells you to do something. Move fast when you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness. Be quick to keep your promises to God. And when you’re faced with temptation, run!
Today we’re going to look at two more times when you should move fast.
First, move fast when you have the opportunity to do good. The Bible says it over and over: When you see a chance to do something good for someone else, do it immediately.
God puts people with needs in your life over and over again—you just have to be on the lookout for them. Their needs might be physical. Some needs could be emotional, like a need for kindness or encouragement.
Proverbs 3:27 says, “Do not withhold good from those who deserve it when it’s in your power to help them” (NLT).
If, for example, you see someone who is experiencing homelessness, don’t say, “I’ve got to help the homeless someday.” Instead, help right then.
The Bible says in Ecclesiastes 11:4, “If you wait for perfect conditions, you will never get anything done” (TLB).
There’s never a “perfect” time to do anything. Plus, you’re not even guaranteed tomorrow. In John 9:4 Jesus says, “All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent me, for there is little time left before the night falls and all work comes to an end” (TLB).
Finally, the last time you should move quickly is the most important. You should move quickly when God offers salvation. God has offered you salvation, and today is the day to accept it.
When I was a teenager, I had a poster on my bedroom wall that said, “Not to decide is to decide.”
When you say, “Not yet,” you’re actually saying no to Christ. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:2, “Right now God is ready to welcome you. Today he is ready to save you” (TLB).
How do you accept salvation? You turn away from yourself and toward God. You trust Christ to come into your life, forgive your sins, and make you who he wants you to be.
If you’re ready to accept God’s salvation, you can pray this prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. I open the door of my life and welcome you as my Lord and Savior. I ask that you forgive me of my sins. Thank you for dying on the cross to pay for my sins and for giving me grace and eternal life. Take control and mold me into the person you want me to be. Amen.
Salvation is the best gift you’ll ever be offered. Be quick to accept it today.
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This devotional © 2018 by Rick Warren. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
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