We all like to think well of ourselves, I would like to think that I have lived a good and decent life.  And, by our own standards many of us probably have. But, by God’s standards we all fall short of His righteous expectations. The Bible tells us we have fallen short in many ways.  It uses such words as ‘rebellion’, ‘transgression,’  ‘missing the mark’ and ‘sin’ to describe many of our actions.  And, no one is exempt, we are all guilty before God.

An understanding of this truth is essential. If I don’t accept the truth about myself, as unpleasant as it may be, then I will never accept the solution.  If a cancer patient denies that he has cancer he will not accept the life saving medicine. If we, in our pride, refuse to accept what is obviously true about ourselves, we too will not accept the life saving solution given by God.

We are sinners in need of forgiveness.

Let’s suppose a man committed a terrible crime such as murder and was caught, was fairly tried, and found guilty. Let’s also suppose that the judge decided that he wanted to be a nice guy so he simply let the murderer off with nothing more than a promise not to do it again. The community would be in an uproar over the injustice. It is not justice to let a criminal go. But, when we sin we somehow think that God, the righteous judge, will do nothing about it, that He will simply let us go with nothing more than a promise not to do it again. No, God’s own sense of justice requires Him to act justly and to impose the proper penalty. The Bible says, ‘The soul that sins shall die.’ That is the penalty, death.

God did not create us for death, He made us in His image and likeness, He made us to know and enjoy Him forever. But sin has separated us from God. God has a solution to this dilemma. He has worked a plan by which we can be forgiven and His righteous condemnation of sin can both be satisfied. He became one of us, He became a true human being, was born in Bethlehem to a virgin, lived a sinless life, and eventually allowed Himself to die on the cross to pay for the sins of the world. God’s demand for justice has been met, the penalty for sin was not swept under the carpet, it was placed squarely upon Jesus Christ. To demonstrate His victory over sin and judgment Jesus then rose from the dead on the third day. He is alive today and can be personally known by all who turn to Him in faith.

The fact that someone has a gift for you does not mean that you have that gift. There is the matter of receiving it. It is entirely possible for someone to refuse a gift regardless of its value or the giver’s generous intent. Jesus has the most precious gift for each of us, it is forgiveness and eternal life. But, we must choose to receive that gift. The Apostle John wrote in the Gospel of John these words, But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name (John 1:12 ). If you receive Jesus Christ as your Savior, as the one who died to pay for your sins, you too will experience the new relationship with God, you too will become a true Christian, you too will be saved from God’s judgment.

Receiving Jesus is done by faith which is nothing more than believing in and trusting in Jesus as Savior. We trust that His act of sacrifice paid our way into heaven, we trust that He is alive today and will guide our lives, we trust that He alone can bring these blessings to us.

The Apostle Paul described the new life to a group of new believers this way, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). God will change your life from the inside out if you call upon Him to be your Savior. He will direct you away from sin and escort you to a life of joy, righteousness, and blessing. Not all problems will be immediately solved, God is not promising an easy life, but He is promising a good life, a life which is guided by Him. At one point Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).

Isn’t that what you want, an abundant life, a life directed by God, and a certainty that you will know God forever? Here is a suggested prayer to help you take this all important step.

“Dear Lord Jesus, thank you for loving me. Thank you for paying for my sins when you died on the cross. I believe you died and rose again for me, I accept you as my Savior, I ask you to guide my life according to your will. Amen.”