He is still asking that question, today…more than 2,000 years later.
I hate to lose things, you know? The keys to my truck, money, friends and family members (through death), opportunities, time. To lose my soul, though…that’s like something so far beyond just losing my wallet. The guarding of one’s soul should be paramount in life for it is the only thing that really matters in this life, and it is the only thing that survives after this life. Honestly, I can think of nothing more important than your eternal soul. Can you?
But we have a problem. And it’s a systemic one, meaning "system-wide". And that problem is not just sin; in fact, it's that which creates sin: the nature of evil that lives inside us—and I mean ALL of us. It is this very destructive nature, itself, which continually leads us to kill our souls and the souls of those around us just through the ways in which we live our lives and the ways in which we relate to each other. Through the many lies we tell, the destructive choices we make, and the unloving things we do, we basically live out the mechanics of a life of perpetual soulish homicide that results in the soul-killing of ourselves and those around us repeatedly over and over and over again. And there really is no stopping it. This is some really BAD news...for all of us. :o(
The Bible speaks to these things…
“For the heart is sick and desperately wicked (see Jeremiah 17:9)" is the way Jeremiah, one Old Testament writer penned it.
In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul wrote in a letter to his friends, “All of us have sinned and fall short continually of the glory, plans, and purposes of God in our lives (see Romans 3:23).” In that very same letter, Paul wrote also of the result of—or payment for—our sin and wrongdoing: Death (see Romans 6:23). In its simplest definition, death is separation from God (Who is the Source of All Life, Breath, and Love) and, in a sense, separation from oneself and everyone else on the planet. My sin has separated me from my Creator, and so has yours, and it has resulted in tremendous feelings of separation and loneliness.
We were never meant to live apart from God, my friends, and we were never meant to live apart from loving community with the people of God, And yet, that is exactly what has happened to us. Through our sin and rebellion, we have died to the very Presence of God and have died to any semblance of real and authentic loving relationship with those around us.
But a solution has been found. In fact, it’s been provided to all of us. And that solution is Jesus, the Almighty Creator of the Universe, Who came to us in human form. In Jesus, there was (and is) no sin (see 1 John 1:5). When He lived on this earth, He lived in sinless communion with God the Father and demonstrated just how loving and just God really is (see John 14:9). This is such great news to all of us. God, Himself, became our solution—THE solution—and did for us that which we cannot do for ourselves.
God is NOT mad at you. No! In fact, He loves you more than you could ever ask for or even imagine. He is, though, saddened over the choices you’ve made in life that have hurt you and other people. He is saddened, too, over the fact that, through your sin, you have turned your back on Him and, in a very real way, told Him to shove off and leave you alone to suffer in your misery. What's so sad to God, as well, is that He is The Who and The What that you need so desperately in life. Without Him, "life"—if you want to call it that—makes little, if any, sense.
This is how we fall short of God’s glory, for His glory is meant to be expressed in and through us. God has great plans for you, my friends. Great and wonderful plans, because He loves you with an everlasting love that cannot be quenched (see Jeremiah 31:3). There is a passage in the Old Testament that I have clung to many times in my life. Of course, the passage was written by a human being, but when it was written, the author wrote it under the inspiration of God as if he were a kind of mouthpiece for God. The passage is found Jeremiah 29:11, and here’s the way it reads: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Now how fabulous is that? Almighty God is not mad at you. In fact, He loves you, and He wants to prosper you…to give you a bright future…to give you a grand hope. It is His free gift to you, but you must receive it.
As I wrote above, all of us have sinned and, as a result, have experienced the separation from God that such acts create. Jesus, in coming to earth, became God in human form, and died in your place and in mine. Because of His great love for us, He paid the penalty—the wage—for our sin by dying on a cross. And then, so that humankind might truly KNOW that He was Who He claimed to be, He rose from the dead three days later—just the way He said He would. And now He offers all of us His Life so that we can be reconciled to God and each other and experience, once again, the comforting and life-changing Presence of Almighty God and His people.
Will you receive what God in Jesus has offered? Will you receive it, today? I guarantee you that your life will never be the same. I guarantee you, too, that you will still experience problems, trouble, and heartache in life, but you won’t have to go it alone. No! For God will be with you (see Matthew 28:20), and He will love you and watch over you like a mother watches over a newborn.
Again, Jesus asks, “What does it profit a man (or woman) to gain the whole world and yet forfeit (or lose) his own soul?” It is of NO profit, my friends. NONE whatsoever! For your soul is so far more valuable than anything you can imagine (according to God!), and God, through Jesus, has found it (that is, "you" as you are) and desires so much to save you so that you might live abundantly now and, someday, in heaven. This is the future hope that He has given to all of us.
Again, it is a choice that you—and only you—can make. Do I choose Jesus or choose to walk away from Him? It really is that basic. And that dangerous, too. With everything that’s within me, I want to urge you to put your life and trust, once again, in the Hands of Almighty God and receive from Him the life He has for you…personally. Yes, for you just as you are. It matters not who you think you are or how bad you think you are or what you think you’ve done. God loves you, and He is so longing to be a part of your life once again. Will you let Him?
If this is something that you desire, and I pray that it is (otherwise, I don't think you would have read this far!), I would like to urge you to do something—actually, two things: (1) Tell God that you want Him to be a part of your life again and that you want the Life He offers through His Son, Jesus; and (2) Find a friend that you know is friends with Jesus, and tell that person what you’ve just done in asking Jesus into your life.
To help you with (1), please allow me to guide you in taking this really huge step. In my life, I often call talking with God “praying.” Let’s pray and talk with God, together for a couple minutes, okay?
Dear God...
I think You’ve been trying to reach out to me for a long time, and I think I’ve been resistant because I thought You were mad at me. My friend, Dave, and some other friends have been telling me that you’re not really mad at me and that, instead, You love me exactly as I am. Though it’s hard for me to understand, I’m choosing in this very moment to believe that You really do love me.
I’ve done a lot of things that I’m not proud of, God. I’ve hurt a lot of people, including myself, through the many mean, deceptive, and not-so-nice things I’ve done. Right now, God, I ask that you forgive me of all these things—and they are numerous. I am coming to understand that all these things have separated me from You and from the Life You desire me to have and to live. In this moment, I chose to believe that Jesus came to earth and died in my place to pay the penalty of death that my sins require. I believe, too, that He rose from the dead so that I might live. And that is what I want, God: TO LIVE!
I give my life to You, God, and I ask that You come to me in this moment, that You take up residence within my heart, and that You bring my soul back to life. I believe that Jesus is my Savior from death and destruction, and I want to follow Him, God. Help me to be me as You created me to be. I believe that You know me inside and out, God, and I’d like to know You in that way, too. I want your friendship in my life. Help me to be a good friend to You, and please help me to love others the way you love them.
Thank You for loving me, God, and for not hating me like I thought. And thank You, too, for forgiving me of my sins, cleansing me of the fifth, and saving me from the death and destructiveness my ways of living have brought about.
Amen.
If you prayed the above prayer and would like to speak with someone, and there is no one close right now, please call me on my cell (919/724-7935), for I would love to hear about what’s happened and encourage you in this new life God has given you.
Here are some additional passages from the Bible that I recommend considering:
Isaiah 53:6
We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity [sin] of us all.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gaveth His Only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 5:6-8
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, [Jesus] Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Romans 10:9
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
2 Corinthians 6:2
For He says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation [of being saved from death and sin] I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
Revelation 3:20
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.
In Him, for Him, and by Him,
Dave
In Him, for Him, and by Him,
Dave
No comments:
Post a Comment