Daily Devotional for Thursday March 9th

The Philippian Jailer

“And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” Acts 16:30

I love the game show Jeopardy. It is fun to play along with at home and dream of winning a million dollars. There is one important rule when answering questions in Jeopardy and that is that they must be phrased in the form of a question. In most of life, asking the right question matters. If we ask the wrong questions, the answers may be of little use.
This Philippian jailer asked exactly the right question. He asked the most important question in the world. This question has eternal consequences for us all. The answer given by Paul and Silas to the jailer was quite perfect, “They said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house” (Acts 16:31). They offered no deep theology. They did not tell the jailer to straighten up his life. They certainly did not stay silent, not having an answer to the question! Their answer was the only correct one, to believe on Jesus. These men were ready to answer this question. In fact, answering this question was their life’s work.
You might be tempted to sit back and say, “Well, those guys are missionaries, they are suppose to do that!” We do not get off the hook quite so fast. You and I are to be ready to answer that question at all times. When Jesus gave the great commission, it was to all of us.
You may think you do not know how to witness. As an old saying goes “you are called to be a witness, not a lawyer.” You just have to do exactly as Paul and Silas did. You do not have to give a theology lesson. You need no list of rules. You certainly cannot stay silent if asked! All you need to do is preach Jesus.

JUST A THOUGHT: We should always be ready to answer the question, “How can I be saved?”

Wally Fry