As we rapidly move towards Easter and as I move forward on this narrow path of my life I can’t help but set my focus on the most important part of life, the part that will go beyond this earth and this realm. It is when I turn to my inward being and think introspectively that I must acknowledge that there is more than just this physical life that we live. I am comfortable with this knowledge and understanding because this is the place from which I have drawn comfort and solace ever since I was a child.
What about you? Have you acknowledged what will happen to your spirit when your body fails and dies?
In my own feeble way I would like to explain what I believe and then I would like to share the absolute most important decision that you could ever make.
Whether we think we do or not everyone believes and trusts in some knowledge about what will happen to them when they die. Even if you say you don’t you really do because you are trusting that there is nothing past this life, and to me that would be a sad and depressing place to be as I got older. That said, the reality as I see and have experienced it is this…
There is One Sovereign God to whom there are three distinct parts (The Father, His Son, and His Holy Spirit) who always have been, is, and always will be. He created everything that there is in this realm and the unseen. There are many ideas as to why He decided to create us in the first place but I want to focus on just one. God created us because He wants us, He wants our love, our devotion, and a close and personal relationship with us. Sure, He could have chosen to create us as beings who had to love Him but not giving us that choice would result in His creating a programmed and robotic sort of being, a being devoid of true love and feeling. So that our love would have meaning and purpose He had to create us with the freedom to decide for ourselves. To have goodness there must be evil, to have love there must be indifference and hate. Because God is love and goodness He will not tolerate indifference, hate, and evil forever. Once He created mankind and mankind failed Him and made the choice to disobey and turn to evil there have to be consequences. Because He loves us so very much He wants to give us the ability to choose the free gift of salvation through His Son so that we don’t have to suffer those consequences.
And so, it is because of those consequences that each and every one of us must make a choice. There is a fork in the road, if you haven’t chosen yet, today is the day to decide. Which direction will you choose to go?
No matter what you have done, God loves you, He wants a close relationship with you, and He wants to give you His peace and joy. In fact He loves you so very much that He sent His one and only, perfect Son to this earth to show us how to live and to die for each and every one of our sins. The bible tells us:
“For God so [greatly] loved and dearly prized the world, that He [even] gave His [One and] only begotten Son, so that whoever believes and trusts in Him [as Savior] shall not perish, but have eternal life.” John 3:16
Don’t worry, you aren’t alone in your faults and failures. Just like you, I sin, I mess up and fail God daily. We are born this way. Even the bible tells us this:
“all have sinned and (continually) fall short of the glory of God,” Romans 3:23
I don’t know how you feel about that but to me it feels pretty hopeless. We don’t have to worry though because God has made a way for us to be made clean and to be forgiven of all of our sin. Out of His great love our God has bridged the divide of our disobedience and sin so that we can be reconciled with Him. That way to being reconciled with God is through acceptance and belief in His Son Jesus and striving to follow and live like Him. The bible tells us that:
“He (Jesus) personally carried the load of our sins in his own body when he died on the cross” 1 Peter 2:24
No matter how good we think we can never be good enough because of our brokenness and sinful ways. Isn’t it great news that even though we sin and fail God that He has made a way for us to be right with Him! The bible tells us:
“But to all who did receive him (Jesus), who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12
To receive Christ you need to do four things:
- ADMIT your spiritual need. “I am a sinner.”
- REPENT and be willing to turn from your sin. Acts 2:38
- BELIEVE that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross.
- RECEIVE, through prayer, Jesus Christ into your heart and life.
CHRIST says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in” Revelation 3:20
The BIBLE says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:13
If you haven’t taken this step I would like to invite you to today. It starts with a simple prayer, something like this.
Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and need Your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I now invite You to come into my heart and life. I want to trust and follow You as my Lord and Savior. AMEN
If you have this in your heart and you prayed that prayer for the first time I would invite you to follow the link to the next website. I am not affiliated with this site but it is a group that I trust. Please click here and check this out and to click the response option at the bottom of the page.
Even for those of us who are already believers and followers of Christ I think that it is good to remember and reflect on these things from time to time. Easter is a great time to do that.
God, thank You for bringing me to this place in my walk with You. I need You and I want more and more of You everyday. I pray that someone will be touched by this, the good news of the gospel of Christ that You have freely given us. Please draw each and every one of us near to Yourself and open our eyes and hearts this Easter so that we will see You and be reminded of Your love as we reflect on all that You have done for us. I Love You God, all glory, honor, and praise belong to You. I give You thanks for Your freely given gift of salvation through Your Son. I pray to You now in His name, the glorious name of Christ Jesus. AMEN
This Narrow Path... 