As we enter the Days of Awe and we work our way toward The Day of Atonement; I must ask you; are you saved? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?
There is no way to achieve Atonement without Salvation.
A whole new year lays before us; a chance for a lifetime in eternity is offered to you. Have you done the things you need to do to receive this precious gift of Salvation?
Time is of the essesnce.
SALVATION IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING OF ALL
I’ve been posting an ongoing chronological bible study called “COME AS A CHILD.” The study is a very slow walk through the bible from the perspective of the eager-to-learn eyes of a child.
The study has been well-received and followed by many. I occasionally add my own personal comments and sometimes note other people’s conversations. Now and then I share a few of my own experiences along the way. This blog also puts great emphasis with certain appointments we all need to keep with God; called The Holy Days. Right now we are going through The Days of Awe and leading into the most holy day of the sacred calendar; The Day of Atonement.
The study will continue as such; but today I feel a need to stop the usual commentary and focus on one basic truth which outweighs all other truth.
THE BEST PIECE OF THE PUZZLE
This category of the blog which I’ve called “PIECES OF THE PUZZLE” is typically going to be filled with puzzling theological mysteries. We will explore them together and prayerfully seek answers to all the hard questions.
I suppose the subject of today’s post is quite appropriate for this category; even though many people would quickly file the subject under “basic knowledge” instead of mysteries.
Perhaps though; this “basic” theology I wish to share today is actually the greatest mystery of all; the very fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, would come down from the heavens to the lowly depths of the earth; commit not one sin while He lived and died as a very common man; be buried and somehow by the amazing power of God be resurrected from the grave and rise again to sit at the right hand of God in Heaven; in order to save our souls. He did all of this for you and me.
THIS IS THE KEY TO UNLOCKING ALL THE OTHER MYSTERIES
If you don’t start the puzzle with this one crucial piece; you will never get all the rest of the pieces together correctly. Without this first piece of the puzzle; the full measure of God’s love for you will never be seen.
You can’t force puzzle pieces, they must be laid out one at a time, piece by piece in order to obtain an even fit.
First things must be done first.
FIRST THINGS ARE A FOUNDATION FOR MORE
What I have to say today is without a doubt the most important thing I have ever said.
It is and always well be “a first thing.”
Basically, I bring a simple question:
Do you know Jesus Christ as your Savior?
THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS LEAD TO THE MOST PROFOUND ANSWERS
Have you asked Christ to come into your heart and are you willing to allow Him to take over your life completely?
Will you give Him all of your days?
Have you died to yourself and began to live for Him and The Kingdom of God?
Do you believe?
THE GOOD NEWS IS THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
The reason I ask this question of you today is that nothing I could ever begin to write here and/or no words you could ever begin to read here would ever be truly helpful to you; unless first you have received the saving knowledge of the good news of The Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Unless you truly understand the fact that long ago Jesus Christ, The Perfect Son of God, actually came and died on a cross to save you from your sins; nothing else can fall into place with your spiritual growth and development.
IT IS ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIP
Christianity is about relationship; not works.
It isn’t about attending services in a building.
It isn’t about singing songs in a choir.
It isn’t about keeping days of the calendar rotely.
A relationship with Christ will make you desire good works; but if you don’t have that basic relationship in place first; the works count for absolutely nothing.
You can’t get to heaven by doing good deeds or being a good person.
ENTER THROUGH THE DOOR
You must enter through the One and only door; a relationship with Christ.
Jesus is the door to salvation.
BELIEVE
The life and times of Christ of which I refer to in the writings of this blog is not a symbolic story; but a literal, true happening.
You can’t have a relationship with Christ unless you truly believe these stories are true.
I give you a sure witness by saying to you that you can believe every word of every story of the Holy Scriptures. The Word of God is truth.
TRUST
You can trust the fact that Jesus Christ actually came in the physical form of a man and died a very painful death on an old wooden cross so that you and I could better know our Heavenly Father and Creator; and so that we would be able to experience eternity with Him.
He did this even though He was The Holy Son of God, a very special part of The Godhead. The Father and The Son are One and they speak into our lives through The Holy Spirit.
When Jesus came down to live among us, His total motivation was pure love.
RECEIVE THE LOVE
That love forms and makes possible the very first, basic step to enter into the Christian faith. You must have the love of God inside your heart; be devoted to keeping it; and believe that it is very, very real and true.
God IS love.
That little three worded sentence that almost every child learns as their first bible verse in Sunday school is probably one of the most important verses of all. The fact that God is love is about the only answer that makes sense when people begin to seek answers.
GOD IS LOVE
When I look back over all the Holy Scriptures I have learned in this lifetime; this simple little verse is my favorite.
It fits every size and every situation.
That one little verse sums up all that Jesus has done for us. He has shown us that God is love in every breath that He took on this earth and in every moment He spent in living and dying that tragic, yet victorious death.
BELIEVE IN THE POWER OF RESURRECTION
Jesus showed us proof that God is love in the Resurrection from the dead.
Jesus shows us proof of that love even now; as He stands at the right hand of God the Father and intercedes for the salvation of our souls.
Christ and The Father are One.
The love of God for you is endless.
ONE MISSION; ONE PURPOSE; ONE GOD OF ALL
Christ is a part of the One God of Heaven and Earth. He has made God’s Holy Spirit able to live within our souls. This trinity of love; The Three In One, can change your life forever.
We can spend a lot of time looking at all the details. We can unravel all the fascinating things that happened along the way; but the one most important thing to know is that Jesus had one purpose and one mission in His life on planet earth; that was to save you and me.
WITHOUT SALVATION; WE ARE DOOMED TO DIE FOR OUR SINS
The stories we are studying in the COME AS A CHILD bible study have explained this fact in some shape, form or fashion; but today let’s just let this one truth be the whole subject we explore.
Unless you have salvation; you have nothing of true value.
Unless Jesus has forgiven your sins, atoned them with His blood, and persuaded God to forget them forever, and unless He has written your name down inside God’s Book of Life; you are wasting your time on planet earth and eternity will be hopeless for you.
Anything you think you could do or hope to do on your own will all fade away and turn to the same dust and ashes from when you were created; unless you receive salvation for your soul.
THERE IS GOOD NEWS
There is an answer. The scriptures plainly state it in John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His Only Begotten Son; that WHOSOEVER believes in Him may have everlasting life.”
Salvation only happens by believing in Jesus Christ.
There is no other way.
He IS the way, the truth and the life. Salvation is a free gift which He gladly offers to you! All you have to do is reach out and take it.
Jesus made a way for you to become very valuable to God. Jesus made a way for you to experience everlasting life. He was the One who created you; and He has an ordained purpose for your life.
Jesus will show His way to you if you ask Him to do so. All you have to do is to decide to follow Him.
Christ will lead you the rest of the way; He will lead you through all the right paths.
So; have you done this?
IT ISN’T COMPLICATED
Don’t be misled by those who would make this simple act of salvation over-complicated.
It is a very simple action to bow your head and open your mouth to acknowledge God as the One True God of Heaven and Earth.
A child could do it.
It only takes a few moments to admit that you believe that Jesus Christ is God’s Only begotten Son who came to earth in the form of a man to live and die and to pay the ransom for your sins.
Two little words cover all of the above: “I believe.”
GOD KNOWS OUR HEARTS
Do not simply go through rote motions though; God always understands whatever our hearts are thinking.
You can’t run or hide from Him. He created you and He KNOWS everything about you.
He already knows it all, so why not admit it all and ask Jesus to forgive you?
Simply think over all the sins in your life and talk to God about them.
PRAYERS DO NOT HAVE TO BE COMPLICATED OR FORMAL
Prayer is not complicated. Just have a conversation; just as if you were talking to your best friend. In reality; you are. Just be honest and humble and begin the conversation with the One who loves you most.
NO SIN IS TOO GREAT FOR GOD TO FORGIVE
No sin, absolutely NOTHING, is too great for God to forgive.
Simply repent and receive the gift of eternal life.
It is a free gift; it will cost you nothing, but you must decide to ask for it. There must be a conscious, sincere act on your part.
You must communicate with God in order to receive this gift.
So if you desire to be a part of God’s Kingdom; please bow your head and pray right now.
RIGHT HERE AND RIGHT NOW IS THE BEST PLACE TO BEGIN
You do not have to go to a huge cathedral or stand before a fancy altar. Your heart is your altar. Simply open your mouth and talk to God. He is listening. He is waiting patiently for you to come to Him.
You have free will and God will never force you to decide to go His way. He has given you a choice; and He is waiting on your answer.
Humbly and with sincerity; ask your Heavenly Father for forgiveness.
Acknowledge and express your gratitude and dependence on The Father, Son and Holy Spirit as your true, One and only God. Ask for forgiveness for all of your sins. Do this out loud, in words that can be heard. God will hear and answer your prayer.
Don’t do it unless you mean it.
JESUS SAID TO COUNT THE COST
Jesus does tell us to count the cost.
Salvation will cost you the effort of turning from one way of life and walking in a completely opposite direction.
It will cost you the act of giving up your will in order to keep God’s will.
Yes; salvation will cost you; but this cost will also be the best investment that you ever decided to make.
MORE PRECIOUS THAN SILVER; MORE COSTLY THAN GOLD
The returns on becoming a child of God are priceless and the value of the life He will lead you into will be worth more than any amount of gold that could ever be counted.
God knows your heart even better than you do. He knows if you are being totally honest with Him and He knows when you truly mean what you say.
Do you hear Him calling out to you?
It is time.
Time is actually very short.
We stand on the very brink of eternity. A day will come when the books of Heaven will be closed and no man can make this decision.
NOW IS THE DAY OF SALVATION
Now is the day of salvation.
It is very simple to say “I’m sorry;” “I believe;” and “Thank You.”
That is truly all you have to do. God will handle all the rest.
So please do not waste another minute studying commentary and text simply to gain knowledge and reading just for information and intellectual conversations.
Read to be truly following God because you are a born-again believer saved by the atoning blood of Christ.
This is the simplest, yet most important thing you will ever do. It has eternal consequences.
TELL A MATURE CHRISTIAN OF YOUR DECISION
If you mean it with all your heart, and you have gone through these simple steps of faith; please go now and tell someone you know who is mature in Christ.
Perhaps that person would be your pastor, or someone who will lead you to a true pastor that shepherds God’s church.
You will know the right person by the way they live their life. Seek them out. Go and request to be baptized in the Name of Jesus.
Pray with them that God will send His Holy Spirit into your heart and make you whole and complete and fit for work as a disciple for His Kingdom.
Begin to study the Word of God with all of your heart.
GET THE OWNER’S MANUAL
Do not listen to men without verifying every word that you hear with the scriptures. The bible will become your life’s manual of operation.
Each morning from now on, the first minute you open your eyes from the night’s sleep, ask God what to do next.
Pray all the time.
Oh the places you will go!
Move forward with God’s help and never look back.
Go out and tell the world how to find the Messiah who has saved you.
Share the love of God with others. Keep distributing the free gift!
MAY GOD BLESS YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY
I pray that God will fill you with His Holy Spirit and bless you abundantly as you begin the awesome journey through eternity as a Child of The King!
If you heeded these words today and prayed the prayer for salvation; please continue to learn about the things of God through the wide-open eyes and the loving, trusting heart of a child.
ONLY THE BEGINNING
Also remember, there is MORE.
Salvation is only the beginning.
Salvation is just the first step of a long beautiful dance with your Bridegroom!
God has a plan for you and your life. He doesn’t make mistakes; He makes people with eternal destinies, each with their own special purpose to be useful in The Kingdom of God.
Welcome to The IN SEASON Lifestyle; where Jesus will help you to live inside out and upside down.
May your adventures be great!