First Base

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 7:21 Y ears ago in the seventh game of the World Series, the score was tied in the last inning with two outs. The batter came to the plate and hit a home run out park. The crowd went wild. For baseball fans, it is about the most exciting that can happen. But when the hero crossed home plate to score, the umpire yelled, “Out!” The crowd was stunned. The umpire explained that the batter had not touched first base. That is the way with many people. They are Christians outwardly; they go to church and talk about being baptized, but they have missed the most important thing: They have not been born again. They haven’t touched first base. Nicodemus was one such man who came to Jesus. Though he was deeply religious, he was not satisfied. He had missed first base— salvation— ­ and ­ then Jesus told Him what it means to be “born again.” There are many who teach that being baptized, going to church, and doing good works will get us to Heaven, but it simply is not true. We are all born physically, but to get to Heaven, one must be born spiritually. This is the gift of God that only He can give; and He freely gives it when we repent of our sin and come to Him with a humble heart by faith.

Graham, Billy. Truth for Each Day : A 365-Day Devotional, Thomas Nelson Incorporated, 2023. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/liberty/detail.action?docID=30516542.
Created from liberty on 2025-04-01 04:11:38.