How would you feel if you went out and bought a precious, valuable, and sentimental gift for someone you dearly loved, only to have him or her reject it? The person whom you loved so dearly was offered a gift that no man could ever put a price tag on. There were no strings attached. The only thing you wanted was for them to ACCEPT the gift. A gift that LITERALLY cost you your life. How do you think that would make you feel?
I'll bet my life that it would infuriate you. It would hurt you. You would feel rejected. You would feel as if you lost your life for nothing.
If you would feel that way, just take a moment to think about how Jesus feels when we reject him. When he knocks on the doors of our hearts and we refuse to invite him in. We refuse to let this Gentle Person come in who gave us the most precious gift anyone could ever give. He gave us the gift of eternal life. And to give us this Gift of life, he had to lose his. He had to suffer a painful and cruel death on a cross. Nails hammered into his hands. Nails hammered into his feet. Beaten. Scorned. Bleeding..... Imagine how Jesus felt.
When God created the world and formed man, there was a very personal and intimate relationship between man and God. God would come down and walk with Man every afternoon in the Garden of Eden. This was quality time. The intimacy of those moments where man was walking around in the Garden on an evening stroll with his creator had to have been pure bliss. Man didn't know what sin was. He was innocent. His creator was all he needed. That is until the serpent reared his ugly head in the Garden of Eden. The devil tempted man to sin and we took the bait. We fell for it.
Because we fell for the bait, the relationship that God had with man changed. Man had learned the difference between good and evil and God had given him free will to choose between the two.
The relationship between man and his creator could never ever be the same unless the ultimate price was paid. A life had to be lost. A sacrifice had to be made. A price that no man could pay or was even worthy to pay. Because the sacrifice had to be perfect. And because no earthly man could ever pay the debt owed by man to his creator--The creator himself, God, poured himself out into the flesh and came down to earth to redeem/save his creation. When God walked this earth in the flesh, he was known as Jesus.
This is the equivalent of a man being in a courtroom before a Judge. The Judge decides the mans fate. He is given the death penalty. After the Judge has sentenced the man to death, the Judge steps down from his throne and says, "I'll die in his place...so that he can live!!"
How GRACEFUL and MERCIFUL is that!!!!
That is EXACTLY what God did for us. We had received the death penalty. But God stepped down to earth in the form of Jesus and died for us. Why did he do it? Because he loves us so much!!!
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16
God wants you to have eternal life. He loves you. He loves you so much that he gave his only son to die for you. There is no greater love than that!!!
Not only did Jesus die on the cross, but also three days later, God raised his son up from the grave. Jesus defeated death. He is so powerful and wonderful that the grave can't hold Him. And after he arose, he went back into Heaven to be with his Father and to prepare a place for you and me. But the only way you can join Jesus in that eternal place called Heaven is to open up your mouths and confess that you BELIEVE Jesus is the Son of God and that he came down to earth to die for your sins. You have to Believe that God raised him up from the Grave and that he ascended back into Heaven with his Father. Once you believe that, you have to CONFESS it. You confess something by making an acknowledgement. You have to open up your mouth and tell someone that you BELIEVE Jesus Christ is the Son of God...That he died for your sins and that God rose him from the dead.
After you Believe and Confess, you have to REPENT. Repentance is simply acknowledging to God that you have messed up. Acknowledging to God that you sinned against him and desire his forgiveness. And JUST LIKE THAT--you are instantly forgiven. I don't care what you have done or how many times you have done it. God instantly forgives and FORGETS your sins. No strings attached because he is full of Grace and Mercy.
" If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, HE IS FAITHFUL AND JUST TO FORGIVE US OUR SINS, AND TO CLEANSE US FROM ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." 1 John 1: 8-10
After you BELEIVE, CONFESS, and REPENT, you have to be BAPTIZED. Baptism represents the Death, Burial, and Resurrection of Jesus. Jesus himself was baptized. He was submerged under water. And since Jesus did it, we have to do the same.
We all have trials and tribulations in life. We have all done things that we are not proud of. Some have addictions. There are so many addictions out there that I can't even began to name them all... But Guess what??? Through Jesus, you can leave all of that behind you. Through his strength, he will wash you and wash away those addictions. You may have pain on the inside. You may be hurting because of something someone may have done to you. Maybe you were abused as a child. Maybe you grew up without
a mother or a father. Maybe you grew up in a gang. Maybe you have tried to commit suicide. I don't care what the situation is, Jesus can heal you. He can make you whole again. He wants to do just that. Will you let him???
God loves you. He wants to have an intimate relationship with you. But he is a gentleman. He will not come in uninvited.
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." Revelation 3:20
Ask him to come in right now. It will be the biggest and most fulfilling step you can ever take. He's waiting........
If you are ready to take the biggest step you will ever take in your life, Please recite aloud the following prayer:
Father God,
I thank you for giving your darling son Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I understand that Salvation is a free gift that you are offering to me because you love me so much. I openly accept that gift RIGHT NOW. I acknowledge that I have sinned and falling short of your glory. And I ask you right now Father to forgive me for all of the sins I have committed against you.
Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart right now. I accept you with open arms to come into my life to rest, rule and abide.
I make this public confession of you TODAY as the Lord and Savior of my life. By your precious blood, I have been redeemed. Thank you Lord!!!!
It's in Jesus's name that I pray...
Amen.
Congratulations on making the BIGGEST step you will ever make in your life. Today is your birthday. You have been born again and you are now a member of the Royal Family!!! The buck doesn't stop here, please CLICK HERE to get some DIVINE instruction on what to do now that you are saved..
If you prayed the above prayer, please post you name below so that we can continue to lift you up in our prayers.
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