FOLLOWING JESUS...
God desires a relationship with you.
Have you ever felt the need to belong? Have you ever wondered why you carry the deep-seated longing to be known, loved, and accepted? All of us have. It’s what makes us human. God understands this desire because it originated with Him. He wants to share life with you.
God’s desire for a relationship with us is the basic, underlying meaning of life. We were made to know Him and be known by Him. God loves you. He created you uniquely, and there is no one else like you. You’re no accident.
Sin, shame, and guilt block our way to Him and keep us from feeling His nearness. Pride and jealousy, our original sins, are the enemies of God’s love. What we passively and intentionally allowed into our world aggressively took over, keeping us from knowing God’s heart. Like sheep without a shepherd, we lost our way, forgetting our purpose.
God’s desire for a relationship with us is the basic, underlying meaning of life. We were made to know Him and be known by Him. God loves you. He created you uniquely, and there is no one else like you. You’re no accident.
Sin, shame, and guilt block our way to Him and keep us from feeling His nearness. Pride and jealousy, our original sins, are the enemies of God’s love. What we passively and intentionally allowed into our world aggressively took over, keeping us from knowing God’s heart. Like sheep without a shepherd, we lost our way, forgetting our purpose.
What does the Gospel (the good news of the Bible) mean for us?
God loves you so much that He gave His one and only Son.
We stumbled yet His love did not change. He pursued us and did not give up. God gave His Son, Jesus, as the ultimate demonstration of love for us, further revealing His kindness, compassion, and mercy.
One look at Jesus is all it takes to see the Father’s love for us.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Jesus wants to redeem you and give you new life!
Jesus, the light of the world, came to drive darkness away from our lives. Through His obedience on the cross to the point of death and through his ultimate and victorious resurrection, the ability to have a relationship with God was restored, reversing death’s curse forever. What we could not do on our own, He did. In His light, we have life, and the darkness cannot overcome it.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it; The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 1:4-5; 10:10
It’s simple, just look to Him.
Your story can be re-written by Jesus. All who come to God through Christ are a new creation — no longer enslaved or bound by the weight of guilt. The power of sin no longer separates you from Him.
Jesus is the door to new life, the life you were meant for, where all things are made new. That door swings wide for all who look upon Him and believe.
All you have to do is: Admit that you are a sinner and need a Savior to help you turn away from sinning; Believe that Jesus is God's Son and that God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for sin; and Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
In doing so, you are now His new creation, hopeless no longer, and your new life begins now.
Jesus is the door to new life, the life you were meant for, where all things are made new. That door swings wide for all who look upon Him and believe.
All you have to do is: Admit that you are a sinner and need a Savior to help you turn away from sinning; Believe that Jesus is God's Son and that God sent Jesus to pay the penalty for sin; and Confess your faith in Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.
In doing so, you are now His new creation, hopeless no longer, and your new life begins now.
For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.
John 6:40
Now let God lead you.
Because of your trust in Jesus as your Lord and Savior, The Holy Spirit, has been restored to you. He is available to you as a helper, teacher, comforter, and friend. As you look to Him, He will lead you to experience new life in your new relationship with God. All who believe in Him are called children of God. Pray to Him, and let Him lead you
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
John 16:13-14
Follow Jesus today.
Become His child today. Accepting Jesus is a personal decision that is made between you and God. The words are yours and God knows and hears your heart.
Father, thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending your Son to die for my sins. I have a past that is far from You. I turn over my sin, guilt, and shame to you today. I put my faith and trust in You. Come into my life and become my daily Father, Teacher, and Friend. I mark today as a turning point for my new life in You.
I love you Jesus. Amen.
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