Gregory Robertson, a parachute safety and training adviser and a veteran of several hundred parachute jumps, followed six other sky divers out of a plane two miles above the ground.

At 1¾ miles the six attempted to link hands. One of the divers, Debbie Williams, accidentally collided with one of the other skydivers and knocked herself unconscious. Seeing her plight, Robertson tucked his arms to his sides and, using his shoulders to steer himself, went after Debbie. Plunging downward at 200 miles per hour, he was able to catch her. Maneuvering her into a sitting position, Robertson yanked her rip cord. They were at 2,700 feet! At 2,000 feet he opened his own chute. Ten seconds later he would have slammed into the ground.

As Jesus said, there is no greater love than someone being willing to give or even risk his or her own life to save another’s. But God’s love for us is even greater. As the Bible says, “Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, because You loved me enough to die for me, help me love You enough to live for You every day for the rest of my life. Please use me to be a vital part of what You are doing in the world today to save those who are plummeting toward eternal death without Christ. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. John 15:13.

2. Romans 5:7-8 (NIV)

Report cards can make students nervous when having to give a less than desirable report to their parents. I received a report card from one of my sons when he was 13. It read:

Dad’s Report Card

Love: A

Patience: A

Understanding: A

Intelligence: A

Sense of humor: A

Helpfulness: A

Kindness: A

Wisdom: A

Allowances: C-

It was a birthday card, the inside of which read: “Let’s see if we can’t bring that last grade up a bit, Dad!”

Jokes aside, I wonder if we wouldn’t be better parents if we were regularly graded by our kids!

Whenever there is accountability with responsibility the results are usually more effective. For example, in ancient Rome when the scaffolding was removed from a completed Roman arch, the law required the engineer who built it to test its strength by standing beneath it.

The engineer knew his life depended on the quality of his work. Thus, it is no accident that Roman arches have survived for hundreds of years!

Perhaps it would be wise to remind ourselves that each of us is accountable and eventually will stand before God to give an account of how we have lived and served God while here on earth. May each of us hear the Savior say, “Well done good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, grant that when my works are tested, that they won’t burn up as wood, hay and stubble, but will, by Your grace, be as pure gold. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 5:10.

Last year Joy and I had the opportunity to attend a reunion in Sydney, Australia, of the Open Air Campaigners, an evangelistic organization that I was very much involved in back in the 1950s. At the reunion I met many friends I hadn’t seen in over half-a-century. It was amazing how time had flown, and now that we were all in our senior years of life, one couldn’t help but realize how brief life on earth is.

In realizing that our days are numbered, it is good to remind ourselves that the day is coming when we will all come face to face with God and appear at his judgment seat to give an account of our life. According to God’s Word, the Bible, there are two distinct judgment seats after life on earth is ended.

First, is the Judgment Seat of Christ² where all who have confessed their sins, received God’s forgiveness and Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will NOT be judged for their sins because Jesus has already paid for their penalty, but will be judged and rewarded on the basis of how they have lived for and served God since the day they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The second judgment seat is the Great White Throne Judgment³ seat of God where those who have never confessed their sins to God, nor asked for His forgiveness, nor accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior—God’s Son who died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins—will stand before God and accept His just judgment for all their sins. Tragically these people will be damned to a lost eternity forever in the place the Bible calls Hell, an unthinkable thought.

So, dear reader, if you have never received God’s forgiveness and Jesus Christ as your Savior, I urge you to do that today. Please don’t put this off for even a moment more. For help read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian, and receive God’s full and free pardon for all your sins—today.

And if you have accepted God’s forgiveness and Jesus as your Savior, make absolutely certain, through your service to God, that you are laying up treasures in heaven. How tragically sad it would be to stand before Jesus to give an account of your service for God while here on earth, and you have little or nothing to offer.

As Jesus says to all his followers: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”⁴

Remember: life is short—we only have one shot at it! “Only one life ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for Your Word that gives explicit instructions both for this life and life beyond the grave. Please open the eyes of my understanding so that I will fully understand Your instructions, and adhere to them so that I will know with absolute certainty that when my life on earth is ended, I will go to be with You in heaven forever, and that when I stand before Jesus to give an account of my life in how I have lived for and served Him, that I won’t be empty handed. So help me God. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Psalm 90:12 (NKJV).

2. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV).

3. Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV).

4. Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV).

Many of our readers will remember the simple yet profound words of the late President John F. Kennedy who, in 1961, stated: “Ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” He was calling people to a noble life of service.

Other great leaders have confirmed the rewards of service. Albert Schweitzer said, “I don’t know what your destiny will be, but one thing I do know: the only ones among you who will be really happy are those who have sought and found how to serve.”

As followers of Jesus Christ we are all called to serve, and we serve God by serving our fellow man. Doing this is what God calls “pure and undefiled religion before God.” It is also laying up treasure in heaven which is what Jesus encourages each of his followers to do, saying, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”²

I recall many years ago in much younger days, how I had an accident on a construction site that put me in the hospital for a few days. When in recovery, I switched on my bed-side radio and, the moment it came on, I happened by chance to tune into the only religious program for the day. The very first words I heard were these: “If you should stand before the Master [Jesus Christ] tonight, would you empty handed go?” If ever I felt that God had a message directly for me, it was that day. On that hospital bed I said “Yes” to God and committed myself to a life of service to God. Making and following through on that decision changed my life forever—and it is why you are receiving this message to read today.

If perchance you were called to stand before the Master today to give an account of your life, would you empty handed go? May I encourage you to make a commitment to God now to live a life of service to him? This can be a part of your everyday life in being “as Jesus” in some way to every life you touch; by becoming a part-time volunteer in a community service program through your local church or another organization, by being an effective parent, by teaching a Sunday School class, by leading a recovery group, or in any one of a score of different ways. And for someone reading this message, perhaps God is calling you to become a nurse, a pastor, a youth worker, or a missionary.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, today I am asking not what You can do for me, but what can I do for You. How can I best serve You by using the talents You have given me to serve others? I am available, please make me usable and use me today and every day to be an effective witness for Jesus by faithfully serving You. Please help me to see my God-given life purpose, and help me to do my utmost to fulfill this purpose in a life of service to You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: If you prayed this prayer and would like to re-commit your life to Jesus Christ today, please let us know by filling in the response form at: www.actsweb.org/decision.php. Any information you give about yourself will be held in strictest confidence.

1. James 1:27 (NKJV).

2. Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV).

I recently heard a pastor say that the reason he doesn’t give an invitation in his sermons for people to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior, and to follow him, is because Jesus didn’t give invitations! Yet 21 times that we know about Jesus said to people, “Follow me.” I don’t think you can get a clearer invitation than that.

Note, too, that Jesus not only said in his invitation for people to follow him, but that when they did, he would make them fishers of men. If you and I are true followers of Jesus, we, too, have been commissioned to be fishers of men; that is, to invite and seek to win people to Jesus and to follow him. However, how many who claim to be followers of Jesus today are “fishers of men for Jesus,” and share some of the gospel, but never draw in the net by inviting people to accept Jesus as Savior and to follow him? As followers of Jesus it is our responsibility to inform people that, according to the words of Jesus, to enter God’s heaven, they, like Nicodemus, must be born again—spiritually—otherwise they will never even see the Kingdom of Heaven, let alone enter it.² It is also our responsibility to invite them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior, and in so doing receive God’s forgiveness and his gift of eternal life.

Jesus also said, “I have come to seek and to save that which was lost.”³ In all of our teaching, preaching, and witnessing for Jesus Christ, if we make people feel comfortable with God just because they go to church, but never invite them to follow Jesus and to receive his forgiveness for their sins, we are not only teaching a false, incomplete gospel, but are inadvertently damning people to a lost eternity.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a true follower of Jesus and a good ‘fisher of men’ [people], by introducing people to Jesus and inviting them to accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

SPECIAL INVITATION: If you have never accepted Jesus’ invitation to follow Him and accept Him to be your Lord and Savior and thereby receive God’s gift of forgiveness and eternal life, I would like to invite you to do that today. For help please go to this website today at: https://learning.actsweb.org/invitation.php.

NOTE TO: To help you to be a “fisher of men/people” in an attractive, non-offensive way, may I suggest that you obtain and use some of the ACTS business witness cards. These are attractively produced and encourage the receiver to go to a Good News website to receive articles that apply the Christian message to the needs everyday people feel. See: https://actscom.com/donate_wcards.php. These cards are available for a donation to cover our printing and postage costs.

1. Matthew 4:18-22.

2. John 3:3, 5.

3. Luke 19:10.

King David believed in prayer as did every man and woman of God in the Bible. Jesus himself practiced prayer and reminded us of its importance. Paul also emphasized the importance of prayer as does every true follower of Jesus.

God wants us to pray without ceasing. Why? Because he wants us to stay connected to him and, in so doing, have ongoing fellowship with him. He encourages us to seek the wisdom and direction he has promised to those who commit their way to, and put their trust in him.

To get prayer answered we need to pray with right motives, a thankful heart, in faith believing God answers prayer, and with persistence.

We also need to pray with the knowledge of God’s promises—what he will and won’t do. He always wants what is best for us so it is very important to pray in harmony with his will as found in his Word, the Bible.

One of the many promises of God that I particularly appreciate is also from David: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who revere him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him.”²

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, may the manner of my life, the desires of my heart, and my prayers always be in harmony with your will so you will do as you have promised and grant the desires of my heart. Gratefully in Jesus’ name.”

1. 2 Samuel 7:25, (NIV).

2. Psalm 145:18-20.

Temptation! A very common problem for all mankind and is something we all struggle with at one time or another—and perhaps will always struggle with it in this life. As God’s Word reminds us, “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.”² Furthermore, “But each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”³

So the question we ask today is, “How can we win over temptation?”

First, at the beginning of every day pray this prayer with sincerity: “Dear God, again today I commit and trust my life and way to you, please help me to become the person you want me to be, and help me live today to glorify you in everything I do.”

Second, avoid going to places where you know very well you will most likely face temptation.

Third, temptation gets ahold of us in our thoughts. Realize that what the mind dwells on the body acts on, so guard your thinking. My number one defense for changing my thinking, when facing temptation, is to keep repeating the following statement: “Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God and is Lord of my life.” As long as I concentrate my thoughts on Jesus Christ as being Lord of my life, shortly my thinking changes and the temptation dissipates.

Furthermore, Satan and his demons hate hearing the statement that Jesus Christ is Lord and that he is the Son of the Living God.

As God’s Word advises, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.”⁴

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I confess that my flesh is weak so please help me to remember when I face temptation, that no matter what the temptation is, you always provide a way of escape so that I won’t be overcome. Help me to remember at such times to confirm in my thoughts and words that ‘Jesus Christ is Lord and is Lord of my life,’ and in so doing, with your help, overcome any and all temptations. Thank you for providing this way of escape and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 26:41 (NIV).

2. 1 Corinthians 10:13 (NIV).

3. James 1:13-15 (NIV).

4. Philippians 4:8 (NIV).

Third, the gospel is a message about Jesus Christ. God is not only a God of absolute holiness, but also a God of perfect justice. Because of this, all sin has to be judged, and as God’s Word says, “The wages [penalty] of sin is death,”⁵ which, as already noted, is not the cessation of one’s existence, but eternal separation from a holy God, the creator and author of all love and life, in the place the Bible calls “hell.” The reality is that if God didn’t judge sin—all sin—he wouldn’t be just, and he wouldn’t be a holy God.

Mercifully for us, the gospel is not only about God being a God of absolute holiness and perfect justice, but also about God being a God of infinite love. Because of God’s infinite love for us, he gave his own Son, Jesus Christ, to pay the penalty (wages of sin), which is death, and he did this for every one of us.

To do this, Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, temporarily laid aside his “external garments” as it were, and came to earth in the form of a man, and willingly died in our place on the cross of Calvary to pay the penalty for all our sins. Furthermore, because Jesus was without sin, he was the only one qualified to die to pay the penalty for mankind’s sins. Had there been any other way to save mankind, Jesus would not have had to die for us.

Jesus said, “Here I am! I stand at the door [of your heart and life] and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”¹¹

If you have never invited Jesus into your heart and life, asked for God’s forgiveness, and made a commitment of your life to him, I would like to give you that opportunity today. The following prayer will help you to do this:

“Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the sins and wrongs that I have done. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Please forgive me for all my sins. I invite you, Jesus, to come into my heart and life to be my Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life and will to you. Please give me the desire to be what you want me to be, and to do what you want me to do. Thank you for dying for my sins, for your free pardon, for your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus name, Amen.”

If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, please let us know by filling in the form at: https://learning.actsweb.org/decision.php. (Be assured that we have a strict privacy policy and will never give any of your information to anyone.) Or for further help read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/8glq9

1. Romans 1:16 (NIV). 2. John 3:16 (NIV). 3. John 10:10 (TLB). 4. Romans 3:23. 5. Romans 6:23. 6. Acts 16:31 (NIV). 7. 1 John 1:9 (NIV). 8. Mark 1:15 (NIV). 9. John 1:12 (NIV). 10. Romans 10:9-10 (NIV). 11. Revelation 3:20 (NIV).

But what is the gospel that Paul was not ashamed of and was so convinced of its reality that he was prepared to face persecution and death? As Webster’s Dictionary explains, the meaning of “gospel” is “Godspell, God story, or good news.” Thus, the gospel is the good news about God’s plan of salvation for mankind.

First, the Gospel is a message about God. The gospel is not a message about religion. It’s about having a right relationship with God. Religion, or “religiosity” tends to want to fix us from the outside in. God wants to fix us from the inside out. The first can become an impossible burden. The latter is what brings freedom. Neither is the gospel a set of rules and regulations. It is experiencing God’s love, acceptance, and forgiveness—and learning to communicate these to every life we touch.

It helps to realize that God isn’t out to zap us for the wrongs we have done. In fact, no matter what we have ever done or have failed to do, God loves us with an everlasting love and has a wonderful purpose for our lives—for this life as well as the next! As Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”² And again, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”³

Second, the Gospel is a message about sin. Many people understandably ask, “If there is a God and if he is a God of love, why does he allow so much suffering, sickness and sorrow in today’s world?” Without sounding too simplistic, this is because we have all sinned and separated ourselves from an infinitely holy God.⁴ It’s not that God left us, but rather, that we left God and separated ourselves from him. In so doing, we separated ourselves from his protection.

Another misconception about God is that he is out to punish us for our sins when, in fact, we bring sin’s punishment on ourselves because sin has its own natural consequences. If we try to break the universal law of gravity, for instance, we can’t. It will break us. Neither can we break God’s universal moral law. When we do, it breaks us and, besides its painful effects in this life—suffering, sorrow, sickness and physical death—its ultimate and tragic consequence is spiritual death, which is not the cessation of life, but a life after death that is eternally separated from God in the place God’s Word calls “hell,”

To be continued….

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for your “good news” message that you have for me in that, no matter what I have ever done of have failed to do, you love me unconditionally and totally. Please help me to grasp this truth in the very depth of my being. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name amen.”

1. Romans 1:16 (NIV).

2. John 3:16 (NIV).

3. John 10:10 (TLB) (NLT).

4. Romans 3:23.