I am a sinner. I am no better than anyone. I have sinned and fallen short of God's glory.

I deserved death. I deserved eternal separation from God. If things were really fair, that is what my wage would be because the Bible says there has to be a wage paid for my sin. Sin is sin. There are no degrees of sin. The Bible says we are all sinners.

Jesus died for my sin.  Though He was God, Jesus came to earth and lived as a man just like us. The one difference was that Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life. He was and is the only one that could have paid the wage for my sin. He did this by dying on a cross at a place called "Calvary" a little over 2000 years ago.

John 3:16 says that God loved me so much that He gave His one and only son (Jesus). And, that if I believed in Him, I would not perish (spend eternity in hell) but I would have eternal life (in Heaven with Jesus). The word translated "believe" here means our full faith, confidence and trust. I believe in Jesus enough to turn away from everything else and follow Him.

Many years ago, I confessed with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and I believed with all my heart that God raised Him from the dead. Romans 5:8 says that if I would do these things that I would be "saved". John chapter three calls it being "born again."  This means that I have been saved from a life without true meaning and purpose. Being born again simply means that at one time I was born into this world physically. But because of what Jesus did for me, I had the opportunity to become  "a new creature" by being born into His family.

The Bible also says that the Holy Spirit draws us to salvation in Christ. We all will have an opportunity to begin a true relationship with Christ sometime in our lives. God's Spirit will draw us toward salvation. I knew when he was drawing me. I can't explain it in words, but I knew in my heart it was time to take that step in my life. You may have several opportunities to be saved. You may have just one opportunity. Only God knows for sure. The Bible says we don't have the promise of tomorrow.

If you feel that God's Spirit is drawing you to begin a relationship with Jesus, then today, pray to Jesus something like this: (It is not a special formula or these exact words that save you. It is the attitude of your heart)  "Dear Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I know I deserve death and hell. But I also know you died for me on the cross at Calvary. As best I know how, I now turn my life over to You. I make You the boss of my life. I trust You to save me and to lead me throughout the rest of my days here. I also thank You because You have saved me from hell and given me a home in heaven. Live inside of me through your Holy Spirit and teach me what I need to know to grow as a follower of you. I pray these things in the name of Jesus, Amen."

 If you prayed this prayer and meant it with all of your heart, you are now born again and are a new child of God. You no longer are heading for an eternity in hell but you have a home in Heaven secured for you! You also have the Holy Spirit living inside of you to help you grow and be everything God wants you to be. You have begun your relationship with God.

Please know this. Even though we know Jesus as our Savior, we stumble from time to time. The Bible says that the sin nature is constantly at war with the Spirit. So don't be discouraged if you are not perfect. We will never be perfect until we reach heaven. But rejoice in the fact that as you trust Jesus everyday, He will help you to grow in Him. He will also be a friend that is closer than a brother.

If you have made the decision to begin a relationship with Christ, get into a good Church and tell someone there about your decision. A good place to find a church is at www.findithere.com. This website also has more information about beginning a relationship with Christ.

If you would rather, I would be honored to hear about your decision and will do everything I can to get you hooked up with a good church and get you materials to help you in your new walk with Christ.

In His Love: Bill Allen

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