Life does not end when you die. There is an afterlife, and I am going to use this opportunity to tell you about it. Talking about the afterlife is not an indirect way for you to disengage with the present life, but a motivation for you to make the most of your time on earth. While there are many arguments about which road leads to God and which of God is true, I am not going to dwell on these issues. The reason being that there is not enough room for us to do a comparative study of world religions.
It is important to note that while popular culture classifies Christianity as a religion and tries to compare it with other religions, the truth is that it is not a religion.
Religion is mankind trying their best to reach out to God and please him.
Christianity is the exact opposite because God is the person who is reaching out to mankind and doing all to redeem us. To enjoy this redemption that God is offering, you must follow instructions.
I am writing this with the assumption that you have been reconciled with God and have a relationship with Him. If you do not yet have a relationship with God, I am going to give you the opportunity here to take care of that. This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make and should not take it lightly. I do not want you to allow the failures of other believers that you might have interacted with to prevent you from getting into a personal relationship with your heavenly Father. He has been waiting for you to come home and be reunited with Him.
Here is your opportunity to come home to the fullness of abundant life. All that you need and desire is in God; you will never be forsaken or abandoned.
Let me start by asking you this: do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? This question is being asked because although all roads lead to Rome, not all roads lead to the God of the Bible. Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, made some exclusive claims when He said,
“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 14:6 (NIV)
This is a bold claim, and Jesus Christ died for standing up for this. He is simply saying that if you want a relationship with the God of the Bible, who is also the creator of heaven and earth, you must pass through Him. If you are not yet a follower of Jesus Christ, here is your opportunity to do so. I suggest this because it is going to get you connected to the source of all things. You will become spiritually alive and will live forever in the presence of God. Raising your child with the fear of God is the best thing you can do for yourself and your child.
The first and most important thing to understand is that we have all sinned. In other words, we cannot meet God’s perfect standard, no matter how hard we try. Have you tried on your own to be good and realized the many times you did not measure up? Do you struggle with a void in your heart that nothing has been able to fill, no matter how hard you tried? Are you comparing yourself to others and feeling that you are good because you are better than other people? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you need to understand that all of us have sinned, just as the following scriptures clearly spell out:
“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
“For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.” (Ecclesiastes 7:20)
“But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as fi lthy rags, and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” (Isaiah 64:6)
“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:” (Romans 3:10)
“For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” (James 2:10)
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8)
We have all sinned and need God’s forgiveness. This is the place to start. When you acknowledge this, then you will be able to receive God’s free forgiveness and salvation.
The third crucial thing to understand is the devastating consequences of sin. You may be wondering why sin is such a bad thing and why I am making such a big deal about it. Everybody, including you, should be concerned about the consequences of sin:
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Romans 6:23 ESV
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned. Romans 5:12 ESV
But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fi re and sulfur, which is the second death. Revelation 21:8 ESV
This death is both physical and spiritual. Sin can cause us to die in this life, and if we die in sin, we will be separated from God forever. You do not want this to happen to you and your child or children. You want to be able to live forever in the presence of God. This is why it is crucial to think about the wages of sin.
The fourth crucial step is to ask God to forgive our sins. The good news is that God has already made provision for that and is ready and willing to forgive all our sins.
God has already made the first move!
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”(John 3:16)
“Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” (John 11:25-26)
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:31)
“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” (Romans 10:9-10)
“Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.” (1 John 5:1)
Now that you have confessed and asked Jesus to forgive your sins, your sins have been forgiven and will be remembered no more.
The fifth and final thing to do is invite Jesus into your heart. Now is your opportunity to surrender your life to Jesus. Jesus will never force himself on anyone. According to the following scripture, He is outside knocking and waiting for you to invite Him to come in:
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)
“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:” (John 1:12)
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.” (Galatians 4:6)
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,” (Ephesians 3:17)
Jesus Christ is waiting for you to invite Him to come in and you can do that by praying and asking him to do so. Use your own words to talk to Him or use “The Sinner’s Prayer” by John Barnett.
The following prayer expresses the desire to transfer trust to Christ alone for eternal salvation. If its words speak of your own heart’s desire, praying them can be the link that will connect you to God.
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner, and there is nothing that I can do to save myself. I confess my complete helplessness to forgive my own sin or to work my way to heaven. At this moment, I trust Christ alone as the One who bore my sin when He died on the cross. I believe that He did all that will ever be necessary for me to stand in your holy presence. I thank you that Christ was raised from the dead as a guarantee of my own resurrection. As best as I can, I now transfer my trust to Him. I am grateful that He has promised to receive me despite my many sins and failures. Father, I take you at your word. I thank you that I can face death now that you are my Savior. Thank you for the assurance that you will walk with me through the deep valley. Thank you for hearing this prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Praise God! Hallelujah! If you just said this prayer, I am super excited for you and want to use this opportunity to welcome you into the kingdom of God and God’s family. This is one of the most important decisions you will ever make because it has eternal consequences. You are now a newborn baby in Christ and need spiritual nourishment to grow in your faith. If you need more information on what to do next, send me an email.
It is extremely important that you understand the crucial nature of this decision you have just made. I want to highlight the fact that the focus has not been for you to join a religion or to become religious. Religion is a man seeking to please God. Here, we have presented a picture of God seeking man. God loved the entire world, then gave His son to pay the penalty for our sins. This point is being made so that you understand that you are being called into a personal relationship with Jesus and not just some religious observances. While church membership is important, it is more important that you establish a strong and vibrant relationship with Jesus Christ.
Going forward with God
Our lives on earth pale in comparison to eternity. There is no comparison at all because eternity has no measure. If you live to be more than 100 years on earth, you will not make it to 200 years. This implies that no matter what you do, your life on this side has a limit. Therefore, the best thing to do is to factor in eternity in the equation of your life.
This is what you have just done, and I applaud you for that. Now that you have become a child of God, it is important for you to learn how to walk with Him. You need to learn how to love God and know Him.
When we love somebody, we spend time with them, talk to them and get to know them. This is not done in a day, but it takes time. You just started this relationship with your heavenly Father, and you have to learn how to know Him and grow in intimacy with Him. If you need resources on what to do, please contact me at eternalkingdom101@ gmail.com.
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