The
following has been borrowed with permission from: "Jesus Who?" at:
"NotReligion.com - It's not about Religion--it is about a Relationship."
THE PROBLEM
Life.
Everyone has one. You might argue that the latest reality star or even your
neighbor across the street has a better one than you do. That’s very possible. Or maybe you’re on the high road…everything
from your job to your relationships is going your way.
But let’s face it, life isn’t always the dream we hoped it would be. Bad stuff is everywhere--death,
breakups, divorce, natural disasters, car accidents, crime, difficult people. Nobody escapes. And what happens? We’re
left feeling devastated, lonely, angry, hopeless, bitter and just empty. You’ve probably experienced some of these emotions
and know too well that this life on earth doesn’t offer hope, purpose or an easy road.
THE PROBLEM
Ever cried out
into the void and waited for something or someone to help make sense of it all? A lot of people have but didn’t find
much of anything except silence. The void won’t give us answers, but there is Someone who can fill your every
need, bring hope to desperation and give purpose to your life.
That Someone is God. He’s been wanting a relationship with you since before you were born. Now
that’s love! There are plenty of skeptics out there who will come up with excuse after excuse of why they won’t
give God a chance. But if you’ve never had a real encounter with the compassionate, powerful, loving Creator of the
universe, what’s to lose except hope, purpose and knowing what happens after this life? This will be the most important
relationship you ever start.
THE SOLUTION
So how do you
have a relationship with God? The idea of that might seem impossible. But it is possible with God's Son, Jesus.
You've
probably heard of Jesus before. Maybe you've thought of Him as a religious teacher or a really good man who lived a long time
ago. He is all of those things, but He's also the Son of God. It's important that you know Him. Your whole eternity depends
on it.
But how do you meet Jesus? And you might be wondering "Would He even want to meet me?" Well, the answer is yes. Jesus
does want to know you--personally. He wants to be your friend, savior, mentor and constant companion. But Jesus won't force
Himself into your life. Instead, He's waiting for you to invite Him in.
THE SOLUTION
You're no accident--God
made you. He loves you. One of the proofs of His love is that He has done everything necessary to make an intimate relationship
with you possible, even though you may have avoided Him for much of your life.
God has a plan
for you, and He wants you to know it. God’s plan is Life--abundant, meaningful, challenging and eternal. Do any of those
words describe your life right now?
God’s plan is Jesus Christ. God put His plan in motion because we have a universal problem--we’ve all
done something wrong. In other words we’ve all sinned, and that sin separates us from God. But Jesus is the spotless,
sinless Son of God. He came to earth to “rescue” us from sin.
THE SOLUTION
You already know
that wrongdoing has a penalty. Well, the penalty for our sin is death--eternal separation from God. But since God loves us
so much, He Himself took ownership of that penalty. He sent His Son, Jesus, to earth to pay the penalty for our sins. Jesus
was crucified by people who didn’t understand who He was or why He had come.
Jesus willingly died on the cross in our place. Though He was perfect and sinless, He paid our debt and accepted
our penalty for sin. Jesus took your place. He died for you, and He wants to have a relationship with you. Are you ready to
meet Him?
THE SOLUTION
At this point,
you might be asking, “How can I meet someone who died on the cross a long time ago?” Well, the story doesn’t
end there. The Bible says that just three days after Jesus was crucified, God raised Him back to life! Jesus is no longer
in the grave--God raised Him from the dead.
So you see, you
can meet Jesus and know Him because He is alive! Jesus died to show us how much God loves us, but He rose again to show us
God’s power over even death. Because Jesus was raised from the dead, that gives us real hope about what will happen
when we die. (See John 3:16; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-58; 1 Peter 2:24.)
YOU DECIDE
Jesus wants a
relationship with you, but He’s not going to force it. The decision is up to you. You can accept what Jesus has done
for you, or you can reject it. You can put your trust in Jesus, or you can trust some other plan. You can meet Jesus, or turn
away. There is a day coming when time shall come to an end and all people who don’t know Jesus will stand before God
in judgment.
If you don’t
accept Jesus, you will stand alone before God. You’ll have to bear the consequences, which the Bible tells us involves
eternity in hell, forever separated from God. (See Revelation 20:11-12.)
You may think
that you’re not ready to make a decision about Jesus, or that it’s no big deal and you can choose later. But not
choosing is the same as rejecting. So before you put off deciding, take some time to really think about it.
But when you do accept Jesus, it’s a different story. Jesus is sitting by God’s side right now as your
representative, sticking up for you because you know Him. You won’t have to bear the consequences of your sin because
Jesus already has. One day you will be welcomed into heaven and spend eternity with God. (See Romans 8:33-34.)
YOU DECIDE
Here’s how you can meet Jesus:
1. Acknowledge that you want to know Jesus as Lord, Savior and constant companion.
2. Admit that you are a sinner.
3. Be willing to turn from your sins (repent) and to give God free access to your life.
4. Believe in your heart and mind that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for you and was raised back
to life. Accept Him as the only way to God.
5. Since Jesus is alive, you
can talk to Him. This is called prayer. So talk to Him now, and accept His invitation to know Him. Invite Him to take control
of your life as the One who has saved you from your sins.
(Luke
23:39-43; John 14:7, 20:24-31; Romans
3:23, 6:23, 10:9-10
2
Corinthians 6:1-2; Revelation 3:20, 20:15.)
If you followed
the steps above and meant it, you have met Jesus personally. You are a new believer in Christ. Welcome to the family! (See
John 3:15; Ephesians 1:13-14.)
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