Hi Everyone
I have some good news and I
have some bad news.
Firstly, the bad news. We are
all, each and every one of us that have ever lived (and those that are still to
come) sinners. God, who is the mighty creator of all things, is so pure and
perfect that He cannot let us be in His presence and our sin has separated us
from Him. We all know that sin entered
the world by the very first man that God created, Adam. God gave him just one
rule to obey (to not eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge in the Garden of
Eden) and what did he do? He broke that law and ate the fruit and so began the
fall of man and his separation from God. As we are heirs of Adam we inherited
that sin, which was in us even before we were born.
When God first made Adam they
enjoyed a close and personal relationship and we are told that God used to walk
with Adam in the cool of the evening. Adam’s sin put a stop to all of that and
he was thrown out into the world and that relationship was lost forever. Or was
it?
The good news is that God
loves all mankind so much that He still wants to have that close relationship
with us, regardless of our sins, just like He did with Adam in the Garden of
Eden. The problem is that there is nothing that man in his own strength can do
to reconcile himself to God – he cannot earn his way back by good deeds or buy
his way in with all the silver and gold in the world. The question is, how does
man get back to God? The answer is through Jesus Christ.
God sent His beloved Son to
earth in the form of a man who lived among us yet managed to remain pure and
blameless. What did we do? We beat Him and hung Him on a cross to die. But,
don’t worry, this was all part of God’s wonderful plan. As Jesus hung on that
cross He took all of the sins of the world on Himself for each and every one of
us that have ever lived (and those that are still to come). He became the
ultimate sacrifice for all mankind. Isn’t that fantastic? He died for everyone,
and I mean, everyone, regardless of whether they accept that is what He did or
not. He died for us collectively and He died for us individually. On the third day after He was buried, He rose
from the dead and appeared to many of His followers. He is alive!
This resurrection is God’s
proof to us that Jesus is no longer dead – He is not in a grave, He is not sill
on the cross, His body cannot be found. Why? Because He is alive and sitting
with God in heaven ready to intercede for us! We can have that relationship
with God back again.
This was God’s gift to us but
we do have to do something to receive it. The answer is so easy it is hard to
imagine there is not more to it but it really is true – simply believe. Believe
that Jesus is the Son of God, believe that He died for you, personally, believe
that His blood covers your sins and believe that He rose again after He was
buried. If you truly believe all of this and are deeply sorry for all you have
done wrong, ask Jesus to come into your heart and take control of your life. It
will be the best decision you have ever made. You will be saved from death and
destruction and will spend eternity in Glory with your Lord and Saviour.
I still find it hard to
comprehend. That Jesus died for ME! He didn’t have to, He chose to so that all
my sins, ones I have done and ones I haven’t even though of yet, might be
forgiven and I could be reconciled to God. Without Jesus I would never be able
to stand in God’s presence – my sin is too great. My faith that makes me believe
Jesus died for me brings me God’s peace and hope in His glory. Jesus died for
me at just the right time – when I was doing the very worst thing that I have
ever done, that is the moment He died for me. Thank you, Jesus.
All that God asks of us in return
is to go out into the world and spread this message to others, so that is what I
am doing now and make no apologies if it makes you feel uncomfortable – that is
God at work in you, convicting you of your sins.
With much love
Stella
