Anyone and Everyone

Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread.

Today's reading, titled Anyone and Everyone, was written by Jennifer Benson Shoult. The country of El Salvador has honored Jesus by placing a sculpture of Him in the center of its capital city. Although the monument resides in the middle of a busy traffic circle, its height makes it easy to see, and its name, the divine Savior of the world, communicates reverence for His supernatural status. The monument's name affirms what the Bible says about Jesus. He's the one who offers salvation to everyone. Jesus crosses cultural boundaries and accepts any sincere person who wants to know Him, regardless of age, education, ethnicity, past sin, or social status. The Apostle Paul traveled the ancient world telling people about Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

He shared this good news with political and religious authorities, soldiers, Jews, Gentiles, men, women, and children. Paul explained that a person could begin a relationship with Christ by declaring, Jesus is Lord, and believing that God had indeed raised Him from the dead. He said in Romans 10, Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame. Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. Jesus isn't a distant image to be honored. We must have a person-to-person connection with Him through faith. May we see the value of the salvation He offers and move forward into a spiritual relationship with Him today. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Romans chapter 10, verses 5 through 15. Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law. The person who does these things will live by them. But the righteousness that is by faith says, Do not say in your heart who will ascend into heaven, that is, to bring Christ down, or who will descend into the deep, that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.

But what does it say? The word is near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart. That is the message concerning faith that we proclaim. If you declare with your mouth, Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. As scripture says, Anyone who believes in Him will never be put to shame.

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile. The same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on Him. For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?

And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news. Let's pray. Jesus, thank you for loving everyone and for giving us a blessed hope that everyone who calls on your name will be saved. You have made no exceptions. Give us opportunities to tell others about your love and help us represent you well in the world we live in today. Thank you, Jesus. It's in your name we pray. Amen.