Knowing Jesus is the most significant thing in my life! Like most people, I have been through wonderful highs and terrible lows, but Jesus has been there for me through it all. I write the following paragraphs so you can know what Jesus did for me and how you can know Him too.
I began my relationship with Jesus when I was a young boy. I grew up in church and wanted to be a Christian like everyone else. My mom sat me down and bluntly said “Zachary, you are not a Christian. A Christian is someone who has asked Jesus to forgive him of his sins. and wants to follow Jesus for the rest of his life.” I was crushed. Not only was I not Christian, I realized that I was a sinner!
By that time in my life, I had a pretty good understanding of right and wrong. I also knew that I had never accepted the forgiveness Jesus offered me. You see, God loves all people. However, not all people love God. In fact, everyone rebels against God and follows their own desires. In the beginning, God created us to share a relationship with Him and to care for His creation (Genesis 1 and 2)… But we rebelled – the Bible calls this rebellion “sin” (Romans 3:23 & 6:23). The Bible in Isaiah 59:2, says that our sin separates us from God. We are relationally separated from Him and will spend eternity without God in Hell (Romans 6:23, Matthew 18:9).
My mom also told me that I was not a Christian, but I could become one. God sent His Son, Jesus, to bring us back to God. He was born on Christmas Day – the Son of God became a human (Luke 1 & 2). He lived a life pleasing to His Father, without sin. While he was a good man who taught good lessons and did good things, the ultimate reason for His life was to be a sacrifice. Our rebellion toward God deserved judgment (Romans 6:23). Jesus took our punishment as He was beaten and crucified on a Roman cross (2 Corinthians 5:21 & John 18-9). Jesus’ death paid the penalty for our sin that we are supposed to pay. Three days later, Jesus came back to life and then ascended to Heaven (John 20, Matthew 28)! People saw Jesus alive! In fact, 10 of Jesus’ closest followers were killed by the authorities because they could not deny that Jesus was resurrected!
Jesus’ death paid the price for our sins. His resurrection gave us victory over death. He is alive and can live in our hearts now. When we die, we can experience Him face-to-face forever in heaven. All this can happen if we turn from our rebellion, receive the forgiveness of Jesus, and surrender our lives to HIs leadership.
As a little boy, I knew I wanted to belong to Jesus. I did what Mom told me to do, and Jesus did what He tells us He will do. I was forgiven and He began a relationship with me.
Friend, if you find yourself where I was, you too can know Jesus by doing what I did. Right now, tell Jesus that you turn from your current way of living and that you accept His forgiveness and leadership. This is the best decision that you will ever make because you will know Jesus now, and He will give you an eternal future in Heaven!
If you would like to tell me about your response to Jesus, please let me know through the contact tab on the home page. Congratulations!
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