C.S. Lewis wrote in Mere Christianity that "Each of us is progressing to one state or the other." It's a very simple statement, but one that has tremendous depth. Each and every day you have a choice between good or evil, yourself first or God first, moving towards righteousness or moving away. Do you rate how good you are based on your decisions to follow the word of God or do you base how good you are based on you being a compliment to the social environment you find yourself in? This is a very difficult subject for many people, especially "good" people. I have met many people in my life that do not believe in Jesus, yet they embody and showcase more similarities to Jesus than most of my Christian friends. So what is the difference? Why is it that they will unfortunately suffer the unimaginable pain and torture of hell when they have been so good and kind to everyone? It comes down to this: Our salvation is not based on performance, but based on perfection in Jesus Christ. Easter is approaching and so I want to lead into this season with some writing that focuses on the most important happening in history: The resurrection of Jesus! The resurrection of Jesus meant three things: He IS the Son of God, He came down to us, and He wants to save you!
He IS the Son of God: How do we know this? The Bible is clear! The Bible is comprised of the actual accounts of people who experienced God before Jesus came, while Jesus was here, and after Jesus rose from the dead! There are so many Old Testament verses that were pointing to the Savior that would come. Examples: Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." or How about the Passover story in Exodus? There are many fulfillments in the New Testament and they were all recorded by people that actually were there and saw the miracles of Jesus including His resurrection!
He came down to us: Jesus, the Son of God was sent down from the throne to be with us and save us! Every other religion, the god that they recognize is always on a high tower and never comes down. Our God came down to us for us! Because of Jesus, we are not only saved from our sin, but we are able to actually have a relationship with our Heavenly Father! Think about this....how can you have a relationship with someone if they can't relate to you? Jesus was tempted just like us, he was beaten just like us, he was loved by others just like us, but he was perfect unlike us. The cool thing though is that Jesus knows what you are going through like no other person can. He's been there and He's not only gotten through it, He's won the battle for you!
He wants to save you: How do you get the feeling of want? What is put in you that makes you want something? You want something because it has the ability to fulfill a purpose. Jesus had the ultimate purpose and that was to come down and save us from our sin. He wanted to show us that through Him everything is possible. He wanted to show us that perfect obedience is achievable only through Him. When a person needs saving, there is nothing they can do to save themselves. Take for example a person who is struggling to stay afloat. No matter what you do, kicking or swatting your arms, you will wear out and likely drown. The only part that you play in this scenario is that you are in NEED! We are all in need of a savior, and not just any savior, but the one and only Jesus! He is the only one that could save us because he is the only one that is capable! A good person cannot save you from your sin. A good person cannot adjust your life to where you experience a joy that surpasses all understanding. The only one who is capable at saving you is the one who is PERFECT when you weren't.
Jesus understands everything you are going through right now. I ask that this week you direct your concerns, desires, and fears to Jesus. He is your best friend and He has the answer for you! I remember seeing a billboard in South Georgia a few years back that said this: BIBLE: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth....and that is true! So many times I see people struggle with whatever is in front of them. Try and try, they can't get out of the rut of quicksand that is engulfing their life with busy"ness," anxiousness, and trepidation. There is only one thing you can do! That is be still in the water even though you know that you will most certainly drown! God sent down the greatest and best lifeguard in the history of existence to save you specifically. Be still and let the lifesaver Jesus rescue you.
"Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:39
Stop trying to save yourself with performance, instead trust in your Savior Jesus. Trust in Him by putting Him first in your life. When you do that, you will certainly find your life and ultimately live out your purpose.
Have a great week!!!
Cameron
He IS the Son of God: How do we know this? The Bible is clear! The Bible is comprised of the actual accounts of people who experienced God before Jesus came, while Jesus was here, and after Jesus rose from the dead! There are so many Old Testament verses that were pointing to the Savior that would come. Examples: Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel." or How about the Passover story in Exodus? There are many fulfillments in the New Testament and they were all recorded by people that actually were there and saw the miracles of Jesus including His resurrection!
He came down to us: Jesus, the Son of God was sent down from the throne to be with us and save us! Every other religion, the god that they recognize is always on a high tower and never comes down. Our God came down to us for us! Because of Jesus, we are not only saved from our sin, but we are able to actually have a relationship with our Heavenly Father! Think about this....how can you have a relationship with someone if they can't relate to you? Jesus was tempted just like us, he was beaten just like us, he was loved by others just like us, but he was perfect unlike us. The cool thing though is that Jesus knows what you are going through like no other person can. He's been there and He's not only gotten through it, He's won the battle for you!
He wants to save you: How do you get the feeling of want? What is put in you that makes you want something? You want something because it has the ability to fulfill a purpose. Jesus had the ultimate purpose and that was to come down and save us from our sin. He wanted to show us that through Him everything is possible. He wanted to show us that perfect obedience is achievable only through Him. When a person needs saving, there is nothing they can do to save themselves. Take for example a person who is struggling to stay afloat. No matter what you do, kicking or swatting your arms, you will wear out and likely drown. The only part that you play in this scenario is that you are in NEED! We are all in need of a savior, and not just any savior, but the one and only Jesus! He is the only one that could save us because he is the only one that is capable! A good person cannot save you from your sin. A good person cannot adjust your life to where you experience a joy that surpasses all understanding. The only one who is capable at saving you is the one who is PERFECT when you weren't.
Jesus understands everything you are going through right now. I ask that this week you direct your concerns, desires, and fears to Jesus. He is your best friend and He has the answer for you! I remember seeing a billboard in South Georgia a few years back that said this: BIBLE: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth....and that is true! So many times I see people struggle with whatever is in front of them. Try and try, they can't get out of the rut of quicksand that is engulfing their life with busy"ness," anxiousness, and trepidation. There is only one thing you can do! That is be still in the water even though you know that you will most certainly drown! God sent down the greatest and best lifeguard in the history of existence to save you specifically. Be still and let the lifesaver Jesus rescue you.
"Whoever loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:39
Stop trying to save yourself with performance, instead trust in your Savior Jesus. Trust in Him by putting Him first in your life. When you do that, you will certainly find your life and ultimately live out your purpose.
Have a great week!!!
Cameron
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