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Questions About Life and God
Questions About Life and God
SEARCH| ► | I just asked Jesus into my life (helpful information from StartingwithGod.com follows)… |
| ► | I may want to ask Jesus into my life, but I have a question I would like answered first… |
Video transcript:
What does it take to know God? Wait for a spiritual experience? Devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds? Become a better person so that God will accept you?
No. None of these will help.
God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him. In this video, I'm going to explain to you how you can personally begin a relationship with God, right now.
So what does it really take to begin a relationship with God? There are three things that you need to understand and one thing you need to do, to begin that relationship today.
Let's take a look at each one.
The first thing that you need to understand is that God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
God created you. Not only that, he loves you so much that he wants you to know him now and spend eternity with him.
Jesus said, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."1
Jesus came so that each of us could know and understand God in a personal way. Jesus alone can bring meaning and purpose to your life.
So what keeps us from knowing God? This is what leads us to the second thing that you need to understand.
All of us sin and our sin is what separates us from God.
We sense that separation, that distance from God, because of our sin. The Bible tells us that "All of us like sheep have gone astray; each of us has turned to his own way."2
Deep down, our attitude may be one of active rebellion or just passive indifference towards God and his ways, but it's all evidence of what the Bible calls sin.
The end result of our sin is death -- which ultimately means spiritual separation from God. Although we may try to get close to God through our own effort, we inevitably continue to fail.
You know how it is. Some people try to be close to God by religious rituals. Some try to do good things for others. And some try to just be good. We think if we do this, God can accept us.
The problem is that none of these good efforts actually cover up sin or remove it.
Our sin is known by God and stands as a barrier between us and God. The Bible says that “the penalty for sin is death.”3 Which means that we are and will continue to be separated from God.
So, how is it even possible to have a relationship with God?
This brings us to the third thing that you need to understand.
Jesus Christ paid the penalty of our sin for us. He now offers us complete forgiveness and a close relationship with him.
Jesus Christ took all of our sins onto himself. He suffered and paid for them when he died on the cross. Jesus died for us. He died in our place.
Remember the death penalty for sin that I mentioned earlier? He paid that penalty with his own death. He did this because he loves us with an infinite love.
The Bible says "…he saved us, not because of righteous things we’ve done, but because of his mercy."4 Because of Jesus' death on the cross, our sin doesn't have to separate us from God anymore.
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."5
Jesus not only died for our sin, but after this death on the cross, he physically came back to life three days later, just as he said he would. This was the final proof that everything that Jesus said about himself was true. To know him was to know God. To love him was to love God. Jesus said, “I and the Father are one.”6
Jesus also said that he could answer prayer, forgive sin, judge the world and give us eternal life.
His countless miracles supported his words. Jesus was clear when he said, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one can come to the Father except through me."7
Instead of trying harder to reach God, he tells us how we can begin a relationship with him right now. Jesus says, "Come to me." "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me… out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."8
It was Jesus' love for us that caused him to endure the cross. And now he invites us to come to him and begin a personal relationship with God.
Now just knowing in your mind what Jesus has done for us and what he is offering isn't enough. To have a relationship with God we need to welcome him into our life.
And this leads us to the fourth thing that you must understand and the one thing that you need to do to make this happen.
To welcome God into your life and have a personal relationship we must each individually accept Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
The Bible says, "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave them the right to become children of God."9
Jesus is accepted by faith. The Bible says, "God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it's a gift from God. Salvation isn't a reward for the good things we've done, so none of us can brag about it."10
Accepting Jesus means believing that Jesus is the Son of God and then inviting him to guide and direct our lives.
Jesus said, "I came that you might have life, and have it more abundantly."11
So here is the invitation that Jesus is giving you right now. He said, "I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in."12
So how will you respond to God's invitation right now?
You have a choice.
Continue a self-directed life separated from God, a life which often leads to frustration and will never lead to true contentment and peace.
Or, believe in Jesus Christ and make him your Savior and Lord. When you open the door of your heart to Jesus and allow him to guide you, your sins are forgiven and you can have true contentment and peace with God. You begin a relationship with God and experience God’s love, guidance and help in life.
You can receive Christ right now. Remember that Jesus says, "I'm standing at the door and I'm knocking. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in."13
Would you like to respond to his invitation?
Here's how.
The precise words that you use to commit yourself to God aren't important. He knows the intentions of your heart.
If you're unsure of what to say, this prayer might help you put it into words. You can say this along with me if you want to respond to God's invitation now.
"Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins, so that I could be fully accepted by you and forgiven. I ask you to come into my life right now. I want to know you and follow you. Thank you for giving me a relationship with you. Guide me to be the person that you created me to be. Amen."
If you sincerely asked Jesus into your life just now, then your sins are forgiven, and Jesus has come into your life as he promised. You've started a personal relationship with God.
If you did that, I would encourage you to click on the link below that will take you to StartingwithGod.com, to begin growing in your new relationship with God. While you’re there, if you’d like to ask a question, you can click on the Ask a Question link. Ask any question and someone will personally answer you.
Thank you so much for watching and God bless you.
| ► | I just asked Jesus into my life (helpful information from StartingwithGod.com follows)… |
| ► | I may want to ask Jesus into my life, but I have a question I would like answered first… |
Footnotes: (1) John 3:16 (2) Isaiah 53:6 (3) Romans 6:23 (4) Titus 3:5 (5) John 3:16 (6) John 10:30 (7) John 14:6 (8) John 7:37,38 (9) John 1:12 (10) Ephesians 2:8,9 (11) John 10:10 (12) Revelation 3:20 (13) Ibid
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