Sunday, September 14, 2008

Look to the Cross

There are battles going on within us. In our souls. For our souls. Can you feel them? I can.

Do you ever feel like there is something missing in your life? You have the job you've always wanted and you work hard at it but it's not everything you'd hoped it would be, something is missing. You married the man of your dreams thinking he would bring you true happiness but he's let you down time and again and now you feel like you're living with a stranger as you realized still something is missing. You think kids maybe will do it, if we fill our house with kids they will bring us true joy. But the kids are here and the joy is not, the true joy that you hoped would fill that hole deep inside is still there. You have everything you've ever needed and more but it never seems like enough. You tell yourself that you're whole and happy and that life is good, but how can your life be good when your spirit is in turmoil?

How can life be good when your boss wants more from you, your husband wants more from you, your kids want more from you but you have nothing left to give? How can life be good when there is a longing and a desire deep down in your soul for something more but you are trying to ignore it? Trying to reason the desire away. Do you ever look at someone and wonder how they can have so much hope and joy when it seems like they should be falling apart? When their life seems "worse" than yours but somehow you know it's not. Maybe you've asked yourself what is it that they have that you don't? Maybe you've even asked yourself hopefully how do I get it? Or can I get it? Then for some reason you think no, maybe it's not for me? I'm probably not good enough anyway. I've messed up way to many times. It works for them but it would never work for me.

Right now there is a battle that is going on for you. It is not in your soul but for your soul.

You can have what "they" have, what I have.

It's Jesus Christ and what he did on the cross.

Who is Jesus Christ? He is the the Son of God who came to this Earth, born of a virgin, lived a perfect life, only to give it on the cross for our sins, yours and mine.

I want to share with you a few verse that will explain it a little more:

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
God gave his only son for you, just for you because he loves you. All you have to do is believe and you will spend eternity in Heaven with God.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
We have all sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God. No one is exempt. The next verse tells us what we deserve for those sins.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
The punishment that we have earned for our sin is death. Not just physical death but eternal death. BUT (and it's a big but) the gift God wants to give us is eternal life. A forever relationship with God. No pain, no suffering, no tears only joy and love and happiness and the list goes on with only good things.

Romans 5:8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were sill sinners, Christ died for us.
This is the cross. God, because he loves us so much, sent his Son Jesus to died (on a cross) for us. Jesus' death paid the price for our sins. Three days after Jesus died on the cross he was resurrected. Jesus being resurrected proves that God accepted Jesus' death as payment for our sins.

Romans 10:9 That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
This is where you have the opportunity to receive the eternal gift from God it was talking about in Romans 6:23. Because of Jesus' death on our behalf, all we have to do is believe in Him, trusting His death as the payment for our sins, confess & believe it - and we will be saved! Here is a simple prayer you can pray to God. Saying this prayer is a way to declare (confess) to God that you are relying on Jesus Christ for your salvation. The words themselves will not save you. Only faith in Jesus Christ can save you! "God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But Jesus Christ took the punishment that I deserve so that through faith in Him I could be forgiven. With your help, I place my trust in You. Thank You for Your wonderful grace and forgiveness - the gift of eternal life! Amen!"

Romans 8:38-39 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is Christ Jesus our Lord.
Know that there is nothing that can separate you from the love that you just received - God's love!




If you have any questions about this post or if you asked Jesus in your heart for the first time please email me: growingoodsons(at)gmail(dot)com

2 comments:

Melissa said...

Wow!!! This is really crazy that I stumbled upon this post and it's like it was speaking just to me!!! (i know that it was written "in general", but it's like God was speaking just to me, through you). I used to have such a strong relationship with Him; but after my mother died, I could not bring myself to go back to the church..it was too hard to see people singing in the choir and her not be there...Anyway, satan used that to keep me further and farther away!!!
Thank you for this....I needed it!!!

Melissa said...

Thanks for replying, (i guess i should be doing this thorugh e-mail).... but the problem is, I don't know how to get back. Sometimes I think I am too far away!! I can feel the tug in my heart, but don't know how to get back!!!