Peace in this life, and hope of eternity in heaven, is only possible once we are in a right relationship with God. That relationship has been made possible by God building a bridge for us to cross over from where we currently are, to where He is. The following are the steps you take to pass over that bridge.
In the beginning, God, who is perfect and holy in all His ways, created man out of love and pleasure. God even gave man freewill. We matter to God. He made us; He loves us with an extravagant love; and He wants to have a relationship with us.
God’s Purpose: God desires that we experience an abundant life. This would include such things as love, peace, purpose, and fulfillment. He also desires that we experience both abundant life now and eternal life with Him.
Satan has a Plan for Your Life: Satan is the thief mentioned in this verse. Jesus is the one that has come to give you a full and meaningful life, now, and during eternity in heaven.
God Loves You: More than anything else, you must understand that God’s love for you is real, regardless of what you may have been through or what you have experienced. He hates what Satan and sin has done to your life. He wants to see you washed clean from a sin filled life and that you begin to enjoy a life overflowing with His favor.
We Have A Problem: God did not create us to act like robots who would automatically love and have fellowship with Him in return. He gave us a will and the freedom of choice. Therefore, not only do we have the ability to make good choices, we also have the ability to make evil choices and sin. Our choice to sin has created an impassable gulf between us and God, and without a bridge being built to God, we have no hope of an abundant life now, nor hope of eternity in heaven.
Each of us will die physically, and after we die physically, we will face judgement. So we see that when we look at the condition of a person apart from God, it isn’t very encouraging. We have all sinned at one time or another, and the penalty of sin is eternal death (separation from God).
All of Us have Sinned: Every person born has committed sins. None of us have lived up to God’s standard of sinless perfection.
Payday: Because of our sins, we have all received a sentence from God of death, which is eternal separation from Him for eternity. There is GOOD NEWS, however, Jesus came to turn things around in our favor!
We will All Die: Everyone knows that we are mortal, and that we will all some day die. The question is, what will take place after we die? The Bible says that there will be a judgment that will be made, and every person will stand before God, individually to give an account of their life.
Our Efforts: We humans have tried all types of solutions to the sin issue, but they are all insufficient. Giving money, doing good deeds, approaching life’s issues with philosophy, or even living moral lives…, they will never build the bridge to God. They will never address our rebellion and sin.
God’s Remedy: In spite of the fact that we have turned our backs on God and have disobeyed Him, He has provided a remedy so that we can know Him personally. He wants to give us both abundant life and eternal life. Only one bridge can cross the gulf that exists between a person and God, and that bridge is Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross. God sacrificed His Son to pay the price for all our sins.
Free Gift: God wants to give you a free gift, and that gift is deliverance, freedom, and forgiveness for all the sins you have ever committed. This gift He wants to give you can not be purchased with anything you have. You can only freely receive it.
Wages: We know that our employers will pay us for the work we perform. It is the same with us and God. If we choose a life of sin, we can be assured that the payment, or wages of those sins will be eternal separation from God. But there is GOOD NEWS. God’s free gift to us is possible thorough the sacrifice of His son, Jesus Christ.
God is Love: By Jesus dying on the cross, God showed you how much He loves you.
Our Response: God has made it possible for us to cross over to God’s side and experience an abundant life. But we are not automatically on God’s side. Real belief in Christ results in a response on our part. The Scriptures tell us that repentance, believing, and receiving Him is required. This is expressed through prayer and a growing sense of God’s love and forgiveness. Those who believe in Jesus will not be condemned and are assured of eternal life.
Turn Away from Sin: A very large part of receiving God’s gift of eternal life, involves us making the conscious decision to turn away from a lifestyle of sin (repent). With God’s gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, you will be given power to live free from the addiction to sin.
Verbal Confession: The above verse shows the basic things needed to received God’s free gift:
- With your month you must confess that you have made Jesus the Lord of your life (the ruler).
- You must believe that Jesus not only died on the cross as a substitute for your sins, but that he also rose from the dead.
The Question for You
Where are you in the above picture? On the left side, or the right side?
If you happen to be on the left side, we want to encourage you to immediately pray the prayer below, and confess your sins, as well as make a deliberate decision to turn away from those sins (repent). Then you can ask Jesus to forgive you of the sins you have committed, and then come into your life and empower you to live a victorious and overcoming lifestyle free from the compulsion and addictions to sin.
DO IT NOW! Don’t wait another moment!
LET US KNOW IF YOU PRAYED THAT PRAYER!
If you sincerely prayed that prayer, or if you have more questions, please contact us. We would like to give you encouragement in your new relationships with God.
260-920-8248
romans1015@outlook.com
