Salvation is Here!

The “Good News” letter
Sunday, 05/17/09
Hello Readers,

Did you know that God sees you all the time in all your victories and your failures, in your love for some and your hatred for others? If you ever think that God does not see all, you are wrong. (Psalms 33: 13-14 The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all inhabitants of the earth.)

Some say that God overlooks things that we think or say or do that are wrong but we consider them ok because “everyone else does it too”. God’s ways are not ours. God is perfect and he considers the very thoughts we have (Proverbs 15: 26 The LORD detests the thoughts of the wicked, but those of the pure are pleasing to him.)and the Bible tells us of the wickedness of our tongues (James 3: 4-6 Or take ships for an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go. Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and itself set on fire by hell.) ( James 1:26 If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.) and the sinfulness of what we do (Isaiah 30:1 “Woe to the obstinate children,” declares the LORD, “to those who carry out plans that are not mine, forming an alliance, but not with my Spirit, heaping sin upon sin;).

What draws us farther and farther away from a righteous relationship with our God? (Jeremiah 2: 19 Your wickedness will punish you; your backsliding will rebuke you. Consider then and realize how evil and bitter it is for you when you forsake the LORD your God and have no awe of me,” declares the LORD, the LORD Almighty.) When does sin become a temptation that we no longer want to resist? (Matthew 26: 41 Watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.) (1 Corinthians 10: 13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.) ( Luke 22:39-40 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not fall into temptation”.)

God loves you no matter what you have thought, said or done. He does not want you to be lost and miserable without a prayer or the hope of being saved from yourself and your sin. He loves us so much that he sent Jesus to die on the cross to wipe ALL your sins away, past, present and future and to become a new creature, one that is free from the penalty of sin (death) and one that has a new relationship with God through his son, Jesus. Why do I say through his son, Jesus? Jesus lay down his life so that you can live life abundantly as God intended and to save you so you could have a right relationship with God the Father. Jesus is the only way to God. Jesus is the only one who can save you. There is no other, not your parents, your siblings, your friends, your wife or husband, only Jesus. Now Jesus is the son of God, but he is also the son of man. Jesus understands about life here on earth, the temptations, the evil, the sorrows, the pain and he understands human feelings as well. He knows when you ask him into your heart and life and want to follow him the rest of your life, whether you mean it or you are just saying the words. Jesus is not fooled by words we speak and do not mean. Jesus did not come to earth, leaving the glories of heaven to live, die and be resurrected by God himself for nothing. He came to open the way to God for us and to heaven as well. Jesus is serious about salvation and we need to be serious as well, after all, there are only two places to go to when we die, heaven or hell. Learn how to be saved and when you are saved, you will realize how wonderful it is to be saved. In Romans 1: 16-17 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith”.) The gospel is found in several areas in the Bible. A lot of Christians like John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” God says that the angels rejoice in heaven over one lost soul who is saved. Imagine so much love for you and so much rejoicing when you come back to God and begin to follow Jesus.

You have a whole kingdom that will welcome you as a new Christian. It is called the kingdom of God. You can play a part in building the kingdom of God right here on earth. The Holy Spirit, sent to earth by Jesus to help, guide and comfort us will show us how to build God’s kingdom. The Bible is the very word of God and we should be reading it every day of our lives to learn of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

Life is meant to be lived abundantly and it can be for you too as a Christian who places their faith in Jesus and becomes his and his alone. After all it was his hands that created all that is created including me and you. Who better to put your faith in than your creator and redeemer?

If you have confidential prayer requests, please email them to: denainc@windstream.net or call 775-1954 and ask for Nancy. Your prayer request will be laid at God’s throne and the prayer that is prayed will be sent to you.