To Be Like Jesus: Testimony 12: What about You?

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Testimony 12: What about You?

Chapter 12

For "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED." How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher? How will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written, "HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE THE FEET OF THOSE WHO BRING GOOD NEWS OF GOOD THINGS!" (Romans 10:13-15)

Before I continue with my life, let me ask about yours. Have you come to the point where you are sick or tired or sick and tired? Are you ready to acknowledge to God, "OK, I've made a big mess of this thing." Maybe life is going grand and you just recognize you are missing something; and in your heart, you know that something is someone: God. You need Christ. Perhaps this has never made sense and now it does. Or you didn't have enough data to make a sound decision to follow Christ and now you do.

Well, here it is in a nutshell: God loves you. But, we have stiff-armed God with our acts of wrongdoing. We have pushed Him away. Those acts of rebellion have caused us to die spiritually and ultimately we will be judged for them. There is a high price for our rebellion: judgment and death! But, God wants to bring us back into His love by offering to pay the price of rebellion for us. He did that by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our stead (on a cross). Then to prove that the price was fully paid, Jesus rose from the dead on the third day. Jesus is God's gift to us to make things right between Him and us. We only need to trust in this gift by following Him and receiving His love and forgiveness. We turn from our way of life and embrace Jesus' way of life. As a result of receiving God's gift we have eternal life with Christ and abundant life here on earth.

In your heart, you know this is right! If you have never received Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, let me encourage you to start following Jesus today. You can express this to God by praying a prayer like this…

God, I know I've messed up and I'm separated from you. I believe that your Son, Jesus Christ, died for me to pay the price for my sins. Forgive me for the things I've done wrong and help me to change my life for Your glory. I want You to change my life. I want to follow Jesus as my Lord and Savior. I accept the free gift of both eternal and abundant life through Your Son. In Christ's name I pray, AMEN.

Let me recommend the best way to get to know Jesus. Get a Bible and begin reading a chapter daily in the Gospel of Mark. Read for the purpose of getting to know Him as both your Savior and your Lord. Pray as you read for God to open your spiritual eyes and ears to what He wants you to know and do. When you finish Mark go to another Gospel and continue reading all the way through all 4 Gospels until you finish. Then drop me a line and I’ll guide you into an effective reading program to meet your needs in getting to know the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Testimony 1: In the Beginning

Testimony 2: Jesus is Watching You

Testimony 3: Paratrooper Religion

Testimony 4: Afraid of being Left Behind

Testimony 5: The Geographical Solution

Testimony 6: The Geographical Solution Fails

Testimony 7: The Seed is Planted

Testimony 8: Spiritual Melee

Testimony 9: Seeing the Light

Testimony 10: Receiving God's Plan for My Life

Testimony 11: A New Creature

Testimony 12: What about You?