"Galileo. DaVinci. William Shakespeare. Martin Luther. John the Baptist. These are the strange ones who challenged society with a different way of thinking. They were the rebels and heretics of their day. But if history is told correctly, no man has caused the worldwide stir that Jesus Christ did 2000 years ago. So many people today portray Jesus as weak, the out-of-date artifact hanging on a church wall or in a stained-glass window hoping for a brighter day. But Jesus was the non-conformist of all time. He took the conventions of religion, tradition and love and turned them upside down. He faced the religious and political leaders of His day and spoke truths they had never heard before. He walked in our world as the human voice of God."
~Toby Mckeehan
Are you at peace? Can you confidently and wholeheartedly say that you know what your purpose is in life and that you know what comes after death? Are you filled with joy? These things are essential to our happiness and peace of mind but they seem to be so far out of our reach and incomprehensible -- divine! It's obvious that God encompasses all of these things. There is no peace away from God. The Bible tells us in Romans 3:10-12, "No one is good -- not even one. No one has real understanding; no one is seeking God. All have turned away from God; all have gone wrong. No one does good, not even one."
The Bible doesn't tell us this to move us to despair; God's message to us is hope! But I want to explain the meaning behind this passage first. When God first created Man and Women (Adam and Eve) and placed them in the Garden of Eden, they did not have God's knowledge of right from wrong. They lived in a Utopia in constant fellowship with God. Because of there ignorance, they were innocent before the Holiness of God and were able to remain in His presence, in fact the depended on His presence, it was there lifeline! When they tasted the fruit from the tree of knowledge, which God had forbid them to do, their eyes were opened to the standard they fell short of; even more important, it was the first time Man had ever disobeyed God! Because of God's holy and just nature, He couldn't be in the presence of their sin and the relationship between God and Man was broken.
Being descendants of Adam and Eve, we are born into that same sinful nature and broken relationship. The awesome news is that God's nature doesn't stop with being just and hoy, He is all merciful and graceful!!! He wasn't content to let Man die away from God. He created us in His own image and we have eternal spirits. Our only destination away from God is Hell, which had been created for the Devil and his angels, but God wanted us with Him! He loves each and every individual one of us that much!! Think about it, God loves you!!! Wait, it gets better, in order for us to be in the presence with a holy god and to fellowship with Him for all eternity, a sacrifice had to be made. We had an unimaginable debt that had to be paid and we are unable to do it. The awesome news is, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it." John 3:16&17
Only God is holy and without sin, so His Son, Jesus Christ, who is Himself a part of God, was fit to be the sacrifice for our sin. He was crucified among thieves and took the sins of the whole world, everyone before and everyone to come, onto Himself. He died and God raised Him up three days later. God loves you that much! All we need to do is to accept this gift that God has given us. In doing so, we accept the power of Holy Spirit (the third part of God) to grow in our spirits and to change us into the likeness of Christ so that we may be in the presence of God in Heaven for al eternity. It starts as soon as we accept Christ into our hearts, God no longer sees our sin! He dwells within us and begins our transformation! This is ultimate peace, purpose and joy!
So how can you accept this awesome free gift?? Just ask Him! There really is no model prayer, it's just a cry of the spirit from you to God. Just admit that you are a sinner and that you can't make it on your own; ask God for the gift of Christ and thank Him for it. Do it now!! "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal as friends." Revelation 3:20 Christ is knocking at the door of your heart and He may not be always be there. We can harden our hearts to the point where we don't even hear the Spirit anymore. Don't let this happen, at this moment, as you stand convicted of your sin, make your peace with God!
If you've just accepted Christ, the party now begins!! Hardships come but you don't have to bear them alone anymore -- you've got the truest friend you'll ever have who will never turn His back on you! Please e-mail me; I want to do anything I possibly can to help you in your walk with Christ. Welcome to the Jesus Freaks!!! It's important to find a church home, a family that can help you grow. Drop me a line you Jesus Freak!!!!
