I spend a lot of time here, and in my life, talking about some pretty awesome and enjoyable material possessions. We certainly live in a world with a lot of fun things to capture our attention and to spend our time on. There is nothing wrong with that but I wanted to take some time today to talk about something that is much more important.
I am a born again Christian and a firm believer that Jesus Christ is the one and only way to get to Heaven. I believe in the Bible and that our purpose while we are here is to bring glory to God and to spread the good news about him throughout the world. That is why I wanted to share this today.
Most people expect Christianity to be complicated and exclusive. It certainly can be portrayed in that light but it is really a simple idea. Here is how it works:
We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God – Romans 3:23
The wages of sin is death (Hell) and the gift of God is eternal life (in Heaven) through Jesus Christ – Romans 6:23
While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us – Romans 5:8
God so loved the world that he gave his only son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have everlasting life – John 3:16
Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved – Romans 10:13
For God did not send his son to condemn the world but to save it – John 3:17
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No man comes to the Father except through me.” – John 14:6
If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved; for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. – Romans 10:9-10
Not much to it – Sin separates us from God. Faith in Jesus brings us back because he was the sacrifice for our sins. Believing that and accepting it as God’s gift to humanity to reconcile us to him can save you from eternal separation from God, exactly the same way it has saved me. When we evaluate life from that simple eternal perspective the hassles and stresses of daily life fade away. I hope that you can find that peace the way that I have.
Does this mean that my life is perfect and that I am now free of the temptation of sin? Not at all unfortunately. God certainly will bless us as we abide by his command and seek to worship him through our lives but that has not kept me from physical pain, emotional pain in the loss of family and loved ones, difficulties at work, and other worldly conflicts. The brilliant consolation of all of that is that God’s grace is sufficient for all of my inadequacy and weakness. This means that I try to work each day to be honest, helpful, loving, and peaceful but I fall short of those goals each day. Living with God’s forgiveness makes coping with that easier and helps me to seek to live more righteously as well.
I want to take this as an opportunity to thank everyone who has helped me to grow in my relationship with Christ. The accountability, counseling, and encouragement that we can provide to each other to overcome the difficulties of life is a hugely valuable aspect of Christian relationships. I also want to take the chance to apologize for all of the times that I do not set a good enough example for the righteous life that I want to pursue.
Life is too short for us not to share this important aspect of our lives with everyone that we can. We shy away from it as we try to be accepting, understanding, and sympathetic to others but it is the most important part of my life and I want to work every day to make it more clear to everyone around me. If you have any questions about any of this, please do not hesitate to contact me and I would absolutely love to talk more about it.
