It Must Be Settled Tonight!

Good Morning Everyone.

As you rise from your bed this morning, and face
this new day, with a brave face, hopeful heart,
what will be your course for the day?

Each of us have different lives, different circumstances,
different problems, different professions. Some
are retired, some are physically challenged, some
are busy professionals. Some are caregivers,
some are ministers, there are many people
reading this devotion.

But the one common thread? We are all sinners
in need of the salvation of Christ.

If tomorrow never comes, and you were to die
tonite, would you be with God tomorrow?

No question is more enduring, more important,
more vital to your soul than this.

It must be settled tonite!

To receive Jesus as your Savior,
You must recognize that you have a sinful nature
(all mankind does)
Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and
fallen short of the glory of God.

That God in his great mercy recognized we could
not keep the law by ourselves, and needed a atonement
for our sins.
Romans 3:25

He sent his only begotten son Jesus Christ to take
our place upon the Cross and die for our sins.
John 3:16

That to receive this atoning sacrifice and deliverance
and forgiveness of our sins, we must repent
of these sins (confess them and turn away from them
seeking a new life in Christ, his thoughts, His way, His will)
Romans 10:9

Then we must ask Jesus to forgive our sins
and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, and
come into our hearts and lives and be Lord and
Savior of our lives.

It cannot be a prayer that is insincere,
it cannot be a prayer just in case,
it has to be a committed prayer, truly
repentant, truly sorrowful, and truly asking
Jesus to be Lord (leader, controller) of your life,
and that you will follow him all the days of your life.

He said if we confess our sins, he is faithful
to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness for His names sake.
1 John 1:9

This has to be settled my friend. No decision is
more vital.

Therefore if we confess them, we know they are forgiven.
We are no longer condemned by our sin, but transformed
by the saving power of the blood of the Lamb who
came to take away the sins of the world.
Romans 8:1

Then we are his children, the sheep of His pasture,
called out, and to be holy before Him. He is now
our Savior and our way of life. We will never
be alone again, we have someone who loves us
so much He died for us.

Have you settled things with Christ?
It must be settled today.

Tomorrow is not promised for any of us.

love always
millie

ps. If any of you have any questions about this
please write to me. No part of my task with you
is more important than making sure everyone
reading this has become a child of God.


It Must Be Settled Tonight
Author: Unknown

The burly miner blinked as he left the dark interior of the coal mine. Stopping at a faucet near the mine entrance, he washed the worst of the grime from his face and hands, then headed towards his home on the outskirts of the village. As he trudged along the dusty lane, he passed the open door of a little church. Inside, a small crowd listened intently as an energetic man gesticulated from the pulpit. Interested, the miner stepped to the door.

"Absolute surrender is what we must have," the minister was saying. "Are you willing to surrender yourself absolutely into His hands? If not, you are not ready to meet your God." The minister paced back and forth on the platform. "We do not know how much longer our life on earth will last. Tonight you are living; tomorrow may be too late. Ask yourself, I beg of you, 'Am I ready to meet the Lord?'"

The miner, touched to the quick, slipped into the back pew. I am not ready to meet God, he thought. I have lived a careless, godless life. How can I make peace with Him? The meeting ended, and the people filed out. Still the miner remained in the pew, his head in his hands.

Finally, the minister touched him on the shoulder. "Sir, are you ready to meet the Lord?"

Blindly, the miner shook his head. "I know I am not. Oh, help me find peace!"

An hour passed as the minister shared the plan of salvation; yet something held the miner back from full surrender.

"It's getting late," the minister said. "Go home, and continue to seek the Lord."

The miner shook his head. "Stay with me a little longer; it must be settled tonight."

"Then we shall stay here together," the minister agreed. Once more he spoke of Jesus, and shared promise after promise. Once more he prayed, but in vain. "I must go," the minister finally said. "It will soon be morning. Go home, and return tomorrow night. Maybe then you will find peace."

"Sir, I cannot leave this place until I find peace."

The poor man's voice trembled. "Tomorrow may be too late. It must be settled tonight."

The minister could not resist his appeal. "By the help of God," he said, "it shall be settled tonight."

Again he explained the steps of conversion; again he prayed. As he spoke, the miner broke into sobs and tears. The light had shone through and pierced his darkness.

"I see it!" he cried. "I give myself absolutely to Jesus, to His will, to do only what He wants. He paid the price for my sins. It is settled. Praise His name, it is settled!" The two men knelt again, but this time they thanked God for bringing light to a sinner.

The next morning the miner went to work as usual. He was sent to a distant part of the mine to gather some tools. When he did not return, his fellow workers went to look for him. They found that the mine walls had caved in, and he was buried in the debris. Working with pick and shovel, they began to dig. From the fragments of rock and rubbish and stone, which hid him from sight, came his fading voice: "Tonight ---- would have been ---- too late. Thank God ---- it was settled ---- last night!"