Guiding Light!
Got Jesus?
Hey, this is even better than having milk.
"It's the real thing" it is even better than Coke.
Are you seeking spiritual direction in your life? Do you need answers to serious questions such as: Does God really exist? What is the purpose and meaning of life? Where did the world come from? Can we receive eternal life after death? How can I be forgiven of my sins and receive the favor of God's blessings?
These and many other questions are answered in the Bible, God tells us in the Bible; "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9
The Bible also tells us that God's word is the TRUTH! It also says, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” 2 Tim 3:16-17
The Bible teaches that belief in the gospel of Jesus Christ and Christian teaching will give the spiritual guidance you need to show you the meaning of purpose and life.
Today's verse from the Bible is from the book of John, chapter 3, verse 16, this is one many of you may already know. The entire New Testament of the Bible hinges on this verse.
For God so loved the world that he gave His only son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.
So, you say, what does that have to do with me? That is a good question! We all know and acknowledge that God is real and exists, and that God is love. God loved us so much that He made a provision for us to be able to spend eternity with Him in heaven. God did this by sacrificing His only son on the cross for us to bear our sins. Awesome! When Jesus died on the cross for us, he took on all the sins of mankind, then, now and forever for all who believe in Him.
This way God sees us as pure and sinless through the blood of Jesus Christ. God really loves us that much. That kind of unconditional love is hard for us to comprehend isn't it? Think about how much we love our children, a bunch, right? Well God loves us more than we can ever understand.
We must first acknowledge what the Bible says about sin, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “For the wages of sin is death” (this means eternal death). Okay fine, I am a sinner and I haven't lived the life I should of in the past, now what? What must I do?
The Bible tells us what we must do. As the Apostle Peter told the crowd, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Notice it says you WILL receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, not you might, or you could, or maybe, You Will.
This is a free gift from God, we cannot do anything to earn it, buy it, swipe it or anything else, it is "FREE". Now this is a new twist on life in how we know it, isn't it? Free! Nothing is free that is worth anything. Well there is nothing more valuable in the entire world than being able to spend eternity with God. Here again is how much God loves us; he offers us the gift of eternal life for free. Isn't this the most awesome thing you have ever heard?
When we come to God in prayer (and this is as simple as any conversation we may have with a friend) and confess our sins to Him and ask for forgiveness and ask Jesus into our life as Lord and Savior and be baptized, He is just to forgive us and to accept us into His heavenly family.
Okay fine I can do that and I want to do that, but I am not worthy. Correct, you aren't worthy, and neither am I, nor is anyone else worthy. Remember, God just forgave us of our sins. They are gone, never to be remembered again. God forgets that he forgot! When we have been forgiven, God sees us as pure and clean as new fallen snow. Remember how He does this? Right, through the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross. Now we are worthy!
Or you might say, I can be as good outside the church as I can in it. Well, moral goodness is not the goal here; the goal is a right relationship with God. As the Bible tells us, "Each one of us shall give account of himself to God."
Or you might say, I am waiting for that special feeling to come. Might I ask, what kind of special feeling? What will it be like when you get it? The Bible never mentions any “special feeling” we are suppose to have. You will be waiting for something that will never come. The Bible tells us, "behold, now is the acceptable time, now is the day of salvation."
The day you ask Jesus into your heart and accept Him as your Lord and Savior is your spiritual birthday. Just like the day you were born physically you became a newborn baby. The same is true when you are born again spiritually; you become a newborn baby in Christ.
Now the learning process begins in your spiritual life. Just as you began to learn as a newborn baby in the physical sense, you will begin to learn in your spiritual life. As the Bible tells us, "So faith comes from hearing, and hearing comes from the word of God."
We learn by various ways, by attending church, Sunday school classes, and probably most important, from home Bible study classes with your friends and neighbors. The more we feed ourselves with God's word the more we will grow. The more we grow the more we please God. And isn't that the ultimate goal?
Now we are a member of God's family!
Many people would think it a great honor to be a child of some important person. Consider then how great a blessing it is to be a member of God's family. The most important and honorable person ever to be, before time or in the future. The Bible tells us, We are born again (into God's family) by obeying the truth, the word of God.
The Bible tells us how much God cares for us. When people think no one cares, they may become discouraged or even think life is not worth living. Consider what the Bible says about God's love for us. God values us more than He does the birds and flowers that was a part of His creation, yet He feeds and clothes them. Surely He will care for us, if we will serve Him. Every good and perfect gift is from the Father. Every blessing we receive shows how much God loves us.
By this we learn that "God is Love" God will never forsake us. Men may fail or disappoint us, but not God. He always remains faithful to us, provided we remain faithful to Him.
Remember, God loved us so much that He sacrificed His only son for us! Jesus died in our place so that we may have eternal life in Heaven with God. Think about this, life that goes on forever in paradise with God.
If this is something you are interested in and want to accept Jesus Christ as your lord and savior, come forward to make your confession and accept Jesus into your heart today. Today is the day of salvation!
In Christ's Service,
Kenny Millhouse
kenny@guidinglightministry.com
This is a weekly service brought to you by Guiding Light Ministry, if you enjoy receiving these messages, please send us an email sharing your thoughts and words of encouragement. Feel free to pass these messages on to your friends and neighbors. If you need personal help in learning how to receive Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord, send us an email and we will contact you immediately.
If you have received this devotion from a friend and would like to be added to our mailing list, reply with "SUBSCRIBE" in the subject line and we will gladly add you to our list.
If at anytime you wish to be removed from our mailing list, reply with "REMOVE" in the subject line and we will immediately remove you.
Email Us!