Hello Friends This is a long letter, please read all the way to the end. First of all I am not perfect and dont claim to be. (far from it!) We all commit sin! God put writing this letter on my heart and I wanted to share it with you. Have you fallen short of a genuine relationship with God? Me too... No matter how far you run from God all you need to do is turn around and he is there with open arms waiting for you to take that step and come to him! God loves you and wants you to love him back! Have you ever had someone call you when you were hurting? That was God prompting them. Maybe your car broke down and someone came to help? Maybe you were caught in traffic and there was a big wreck just where you were going? If you look at your life I bet you will find many times that God has used someone to help you in some way. Know that was God. Even when bad things in this fallen world happen God can use it for his glory. Have you ever noticed when something really bad happens lots of people pray and the churches are filled to the brim. Then slowly the people stop attending and go back to their Normal lives. Shouldnt our Normal lives be with God in the center of it? He is the creator of the universe and he wants to hang out with YOU! I feel a real peace when I am in Gods will. (which is not all the time) I have free will just like you do and sometimes choose the wrong path. Do we know God or do we know there is a God? Do we have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ? There is a big difference! God is not a crisis only God. It seems like the only time some people talk about Jesus/God is when there is a problem. It could be prayers for relationship changes, healing, money, job or many other things. God answers prayers in different ways: Yes, No or not yet. I have prayed for some things and God has said no. I didnt understand why until later in life, once I could see the bigger picture. Sometimes you may not understand until you get to heaven if thats where you go. God will be the judge of that for ALL of US. Some people say I went to church every week and gave a 10% tithe maybe more. Thats great but it wont get you to Heaven. Sitting in church doesnt make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car! But I volunteered 3 days a week, gave away half I owned and that wont get me to Heaven? No, sorry. Its all about the relationship with Jesus and trusting him as YOUR personal savior. Only you and God know your true relationship. It says in John 3:1-21 John 3 New International Version (NIV) Jesus Teaches Nicodemus 3 Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.” 3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]” 4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!” 5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”[d] 9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked. 10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[e] 14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[f] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[g] 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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God. I hear a lot of people talking and know some of the verses in the bible. Maybe they have sit in church as a kid? Maybe they have memorized the bible? I dont know but do we have a relationship with Jesus? What does having a relationship with God look like? Here is a great article: The Secret to a Close Relationship with God January 21, 2013 — Chip Ingram Do you long to have a close, intimate relationship with God, similar to that of a best friend? Perhaps you’ve been a Christian for a while and although you’ve learned many disciplines to help you lead a godly lifestyle such as reading your Bible and praying every day, and going to church every week, you still sense a loss of connection and closeness to God? I spent many years living under a performance mentality, partly due to my “Marine” upbringing. I was taught from a young age that discipline and performance were paramount, so when I became a Christian I approached my relationship with God the same way. I remember I used to go through a long prayer list every day, worrying that I’d make a mistake and leave someone or something out. I also thought that in order to “get God on my team” there must be a certain formula, or specific actions that I needed to follow. But nothing I tried seemed to bring me feeling closer to God. At some point, I began to wonder, “Is this what being a Christian is all about?” And what I discovered is that having a real, intimate relationship with God is not about using the “right” words, spiritual techniques, twisting God’s arm, or trying to live a perfect life. It’s not about what you do, how long you do it or where you do it…but it’s about knowing who God really is. Throughout the New Testament, Jesus demonstrates with His own life that a relationship with God is not about rules, rituals, man made religions. These things are used to exalt and impress people and they are fruitless when it comes to attaining a real knowledge of God. In Luke 11, we read that even the disciples struggled with really knowing God. One day when they were observing Jesus’ deep communion with the Father while He prayed, they noticed how He spoke to God intimately. He wasn’t caught up with following certain rules or rituals. The disciples wanted to have that same connection so they asked Jesus to tell them His secret to having close communion with the Father. Jesus revealed the answer to them in an astounding parable, which is summed up in verses 9-10: “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seek finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Jesus’ message -- for all of us as God’s children -- is that God earnestly desires to talk to us and spend time with us through prayer. And when we come to the Lord prayer we can be certain that He is not reluctant to help us, but instead He is exceedingly ready to come to our aide and to bless us. Jesus goes on to explain further. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13) Many of us were taught to fear God and to see Him as an angry or hard-to-please taskmaster. But Jesus tells us that God is someone entirely different! He assures us that when we pray we don’t have to be afraid of not being able to perfectly follow certain rules or rituals, but we can pray with a confidence that our Father in heaven loves us just as we are. We can also believe that God is a good, generous, warm, receptive and an absolutely “on-our-team” God. More than anything else, God longs to spend time with us and He wants us to see Him as a God who desires to bless His children. Keep Pressin Ahead, Chip Ingram Teaching Pastor A lot of us are busy all the time and dont carve out time for God. If you want to have a relationship with someone you have to spend time with them. We ALL could do better at this. A friend of mine posted that they thought about staying out at the lake in a tent with a few of us but didnt want to miss church another week in a row and it was a group of Christians she was with. I felt convicted because I didnt make it to church or have at least some kind of bible study with everyone there. I went to church the next week and was very blessed. If you commit a sin which we all do, turn from it and ask for forgiveness. God will forgive you no matter what you have done! God gave us free will to choose him or to reject him. Thats your choice. Please choose Jesus as your personal savior. How do I accept Jesus as my Savior? By Dr. Charles Stanley Do you want to know God? Do you yearn to experience the Lord’s comforting presence, power, and wisdom? That’s good, because God loves you and wants to have a personal relationship with you forever. The problem is . . . . . . one thing separates you from a relationship with God—sin. You and I sin whenever we fail to live by the Lord’s holy standard. In fact, Romans 3:23: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Furthermore, Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death—separation from God in hell forever. No matter how hard we try, we cannot save ourselves or get rid of our sins. We can’t earn our way to heaven by being good, going to church, or being baptized (Eph. 2:8-9). Understanding how helpless we are because of our sins, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to save us. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life, and then died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Rom. 5:8). Three days later, He rose from the dead—showing that He had triumphed over sin and death once and for all. So how can you know God? It all starts with accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Jesus Christ provides a relationship with the Father and eternal life through His death on the cross and resurrection (Rom. 5:10). Romans 10:9 promises, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” If you have not yet begun your personal relationship with God, understand that the One who created you loves you no matter who you are or what you’ve done. He wants you to experience the profound depth of His care. Therefore, tell God that you are willing to trust Him for salvation. You can tell Him in your own words or use this simple prayer: Lord Jesus, I ask You to forgive my sins and save me from eternal separation from God. By faith, I accept Your work and death on the cross as sufficient payment for my sins. Thank You for providing the way for me to know You and to have a relationship with my heavenly Father. Through faith in You, I have eternal life. Thank You also for hearing my prayers and loving me unconditionally. Please give me the strength, wisdom, and determination to walk in the center of Your will. In Jesus’ name, amen. If you have just prayed this prayer, congratulations! You have received Christ as your Savior and have made the best decision you will ever make—one that will change your life forever! Please let me or someone else know! This is a start to a new life for you! I would be honored to walk with you during this journey! Had you already accepted Jesus Christ but turned away? I did also, first of all ask for forgiveness then turn away from your sin. (this is a tough one). Focus on God and his love for you. God loves you right where you are. Did you realize that? He loves you more that you can possibly love anyone. It says in the Bible that God Is Love. I would say that makes him the authority on this! :-) Find a great bible based church to attend! This is important to give you support! Find a couple of friends that are believers that will help you walk thru this journey. Meet once a week or more with them and study Gods word. Try to spend time each day even if it is for 5 minutes to start. Once you get in the habit you can go longer. Everyone can find 5 or 10 minutes a day. We spend more time than that on Facebook! Get to know God thru his word. Its worth it! Gods grace coves a multitude of sins. Allow God to love you, Accept it! May God Bless you and keep you may he make his face to shine upon you and give you peace! Tod Emerson
Posted on: Mon, 25 Aug 2014 15:10:42 +0000
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