Good News!

For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? —Matthew 16:26

It seems that these days we are constantly hearing bad news—news of war, suffering, disease, and poverty. However, no matter how bad things may get, there is some good news. God loves us and wants to have a relationship with us. He loves us so much, in fact, that He sent his son Jesus to die for us, to wash away the bad things we've done and enable us to have a relationship with Him. Just the way we are, there is no way we can win God's approval and make it to heaven. The Bible says that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Just being a good person is not enough.

"The wages of sin is death," Romans 3:23 tells us, "but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.". We deserve to die for our sins, but God intervened and sent His Son to bear our sins and take the penalty for them. Imagine you had some incurable disease and were doomed to die, and I could somehow take those bad cells from you and put them on me. I would die but you would live. This is similar to what Jesus did for us, taking the penalty of our sin so we don't have to. The Bible says, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever would believe in Him would not perish but would have everlasting life" (John 3:16). We can live forever with Him because Jesus rose from the grave three days later, conquering sin and death.

Unconditonal Love

God's love is so great because there is nothing we can do to deserve it. The only thing we have to do is receive His love, accepting the fact that Jesus died on the cross and rose again, giving us new life in Him. God's gift of salvation is free—there is nothing we can do to earn it, but only receive it! The Bible says, "If you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). If you believe in what God has done for you and want to receive Jesus, let Him know! I encourage you to talk to God in prayer, and tell Him something like this:

"Lord, I know that I have sinned, and there is nothing I can do to wipe away my own sin. I believe that You sent Your Son Jesus to die for me, taking away the penalty for my sin. I believe that three days later you raised Jesus from the dead, conquering death for me personally. Jesus, I ask that you come into my heart. I now receive Your free gift of salvation, and I thank You that I will live in heaven with You forever. Help me to be the person You want me to be, according to Your word, the Bible. Thank You! Amen."

Isn't it great to know that God wants to know us personally? God has a purpose and plan for each and every one of us. We pray that you would live to be everything that God has called you to be. Let's make a difference with our lives!

If you have any prayer requests or questions, please e-mail us and we will be happy to pray for you or try to answer any of your questions.