Many people are seeking to fill a void in their lives. They try to fill a God-shaped emptiness with pleasure, prosperity or power...anything but God. And yet, the emptiness still remains, because temporary things can never fill an infinite emptiness. The search for fulfillment in life must begin with God. God loves you and wants you to experience peace and life — abundant, joyful and eternal life. The problem is, most people are not experiencing this life.
We fall short of God's standard of perfection. The Bible states that "all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."(Romans 3:23). Because we choose to disobey God and go our own way, we are separated from God and face God's penalty of being separated from Him forever. Romans 6:23 tell us "for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." There are perhaps those who would question if one sin is really all that bad — even though God is completely holy, they just can't see a small sin as being all that significant. But imagine you are given a glass of cold refreshing water. just before you put the glass to your lips, you are told that a small drop of cyanide has been added to the water. However, since it is such a small amount of cyanide, you need not worry. What harm can such a small amount of poison do to a full glass of cool, clear water? You know that no matter how small the dose of poison, it contaminates the whole glass of water. God cannot tolerate even the smallest sin, for He is perfectly holy.
Through the ages, individuals have tried in many ways to bridge the gap that exists between a holy God and sinful humanity. People have tried good works, religion, philosophy and morality, but as Proverbs 14:12 tells us:"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end, it leads to death." Picture yourself with all humanity lined up at the rim of a canyon. The only way to get across the one-mile chasm is to jump. The distance you can jump is directly proportional to how many good deeds you have performed. A mass murderer jumps only one foot and plummets downward. If you are an exceptionally good person, you may be able to jump 25 feet. But it is still far short of the goal. Even though some people perform more good deeds than others, all fall short of God's standards — every one of us.
Because we were helpless to save ourselves from our sinful way of life, God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross and be raised to life three days later. Christ's death and His perfection substituted for our imperfection and sin ("For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit... 1 Peter 3:18). God loves us and longs to have a relationship with us. John 3:16 says "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." Christ died in your place so that you could have eternal life.
The search for God ends in a choice — you must accept or reject Christ's perfect payment for your sins. To receive Jesus Christ, you need to ask God to forgive your sins; we "repent" of our sins by turning away from them (with God's help). In Acts 2:38. Peter told the crowd, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins." Second, you must believe that Jesus Christ died for you on the cross and rose from the grave. Romans 10:9 states: "...if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Finally, you need to invite Jesus Christ to control your life and be willing to live in obedience to Him. This is what it means to call Jesus your "Lord" — you are no longer in control, but you have joyfully relinquished control of your life to Him. The precious promise you have is found in John 1:12: "but as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name."
Dear God, I know that I am a sinner and need your forgiveness. I believe that You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I want to place my trust in You as my Savior. I want You to take control of my life and I want to follow You as Lord. Thank You for loving me and forgiving me and giving me the gift of eternal life. In Jesus' name, Amen
After you have made this commitment to Jesus Christ, here are some steps to help you deepen your relationship with God:
If you have made or renewed your commitment to Christ, we would welcome the opportunity to talk further with you. Please e-mail us or call the church at 814-726-1630.
If you would like further information about making a committment to Christ, we would like to send you a free booklet called "Ultimate Questions". It could be the most important phone call you ever make.