Devotionals for the Heart: Why Jesus Christ died to save your soul

Why Jesus Christ Died to Save You
A devotional by Cherie Mendez

“The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?”—Jeremiah 17:9 (NLT)

The human condition according to Scripture is “desperately wicked.” Some modern translations describe it as “beyond cure.”

In this world of secular humanism, where it’s all about doing good and making people happy, most people think that being a “good person” is enough to get into Heaven, but The Holy Bible clearly says that being a “good person” is not enough. Romans 3:12 (NLT) says “No one does good, not a single one.”

I am thankful to have been raised in a Christian home. I prayed the sinner’s prayer at the age of nine. I understood that Jesus Christ died for my sins and that by accepting Him into my heart I would be “saved”. What I didn’t understand was, what exactly did Jesus save me from? I went on with my life thinking that as long as I go to church and read my Bible, I would be okay with God. It took me years to discover that we humans can do nothing to save ourselves. Even on our best day we will never be good enough to meet God’s standard for salvation.

Romans 3:20 (NLT) says, “For no one can ever be made right with God by doing what the law commands. The law simply shows us how sinful we are.” The Ten Commandments were given to us as sign posts that point us on the straight and narrow path. Our loving Father (God) knows our frame. He understands that as human beings we are hardwired to self-destruct.

Over the course of these recent years, we have become one of the most depressed, suicidal, alcohol-addicted, and drug-addicted generations in American history. God did not make salvation complicated. It’s so simple! I was able to ask Jesus Christ into my heart at the age of nine. What happens with many of us is that we tend to complicate things as we live out our Christian faith walk with God. Pride often gets in the way and robs us of the “simplicity of Christ.” Let’s read 2 Corinthians 11:3 (NKJV) where it says, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Furthermore, let’s read a story about a rich young ruler who approached Jesus with major life questions. According to the story in Mark 10:17-22 (NLT) their conversation went like this:

As Jesus was starting out on his way to Jerusalem, a man came running up to him, knelt down, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus asked. “Only God is truly good. But to answer your question, you know the commandments: ‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely. You must not cheat anyone. Honor your father and mother.’”

“Teacher,” the man replied, “I’ve obeyed all these commandments since I was young.”

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions.

Clearly, the rich young ruler thought he had met all the requirements of the law, but that is the point Jesus challenged. Jesus simply touched on one issue that proved the man did not measure up to God’s holiness. He used the young man’s love of money to show him how he fell short of God’s holy standard. Even in this modern day, as we all fall short of this standard too.

Let’s circle back to my original question about what God saved humankind from when He sent His Son (Jesus Christ) to save us (John 3:16-17). These are a few things to reflect upon when considering everything God has saved us from:

1. Ourselves. Like the rich young ruler, self-sufficiency is why many walk away from Jesus. 2 Corinthians 3:5 (NLT) says, “It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God.”

2. Our sins. Romans 7:18 (NLT) says, “And I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. I want to do what is right, but I can’t.”

3. Our eternal destiny. The enemy works overtime to try to tempt us and destroy us. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV) says, “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

Jesus told His disciples in Matthew 16:24 (NLT), “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.”

Eternity doesn’t begin when we die, it begins the moment we say yes to Jesus Christ. We may lose our life as we know it but that’s a good thing because who wants to remain empty and hopeless? Romans 6:4 (NASB1995) says, “Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

Let’s Pray:

Heavenly Father,

We all struggle with the need to be self-sufficient, to be in the driver seat of our own lives. You came to set us free from the bondage of sin and guilt. Thank you, Jesus, for living a sinless life and for dying on the cross so that we may have eternal life. I pray that we will find our worth, security and sufficiency in You.

In the precious name of Jesus Christ I pray,

Amen.

Song of Reflection: “Just for Me” by Donnie McClurkin. Listen to it here.

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Author Bio:

Cherie Mendez is a New York-based actress. 

Her passion is to help women understand their true worth and walk in their God-given purpose. After many years working as a Christian in the entertainment industry, she is thankful to be able to share all her learning experiences in her blog posts and on Instagram.

Some of the topics Cherie loves to write about are:

· Coping with rejection

· Finding your purpose and using your talent for God’s glory

· How God always looks at the heart and the meaning of inner beauty

· Understanding that we are all a work in progress and God is not done with us yet

Cherie’s TV credits include The Equalizer, Bull, and Blue Bloods (CBS). She also appeared in the PureFlix film Revelation Road 3: The Black Rider.

Cherie and her husband Jimmy live in New York City. They are thankful to have been married for 30 years. In their free time, they enjoy traveling, photography, and movie night.

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Connect with Cherie:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cheriemendez/