I have something to share with you, something that I hope will make an impact on your life. It is a message of life and a hope for the future. It is a simple love story, but there is more power behind it than you can ever imagine.

Two thousand years ago a baby was born. He grew up in a Jewish family, and he learned the trade of carpentry from his father. When he was thirty years old, he began teaching people a new way of life. When he was thirty-three, he died...but that's not the end of his story, because three days later he was raised from the dead and ascended to heaven, where he sat down at the right hand of God, and where he lives still today. His name is Jesus Christ, and he wants to be Lord of your life.

The wonderful thing about the life of Jesus is that it was perfect, spotless. He never lied, he never cursed, he never hurt anyone...he never even thought of doing those things. Does that sound impossible to you? Well, it is--no man could ever do it. But Jesus was not only a man, he was the Son of God. He was a human being, with all the power and authority of God. In his lifetime he fulfilled 333 prophecies of the Old Testament. He was put to death like a common criminal, crucified on a hill between two thieves. But there was nothing common about his death, because his death was a sacrifice made for all of us--for you, for me, for that stranger you passed on the street this morning. As he said in John 14:6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." Do you know what that means? It means that no one can go to heaven--no one--unless you have a relationship with Jesus.

You see, God sacrificed his very own Son, gave him over to death, so that you could spend forever in heaven...and Jesus agreed. He didn't have to die on that cross--do you think a man with all the power and authority of God was powerless in the face of death? Of course not! But he loves you so much that he was willing to die for you. We all sin--there is not one of us who has lived a perfect life. God cannot allow sin into heaven, because heaven is a perfect place. Hell means eternal separation from God, and that is where we are all bound to go because our sin separates us from him, unless we accept God's forgiveness and his sacrifice, and allow Jesus to reign in our lives. John 3:16 says "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whomever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life." For God so loved you.

He loves you so much, and he has such a wonderful plan for your life! What more could you ask for? "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord in Jeremiah 29:11, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." He wants you to know that he loves you more than you can ever imagine, and he is holding out the gift of life in front of you, just waiting for you to reach out and take it. Please take it, and come to know Christ in your heart. Just go to God in prayer, and admit your sins to him, turn away from them, and then ask Jesus to be Lord of your life. He is always good, and he is always faithful, and he is waiting for you.