Let’s face it; life is hard. There are seasons when things go well and all seems right with our world, but sooner or later, trouble comes to our doorstep. Pain, worry, fear, loss, financial crises, marriage problems, injury, illness, death of a loved one…trouble takes many forms. But when it comes—and it will—can you still live with peace and hope and joy? The answer is yes, but only if you know God in a personal way.

Here’s a really important life question:

“What is the absolute worst thing that could happen to me or someone I care about?”

Whether the loss involves material things, emotional security, your death or that of a loved one, there is only one permanent and devastating loss to truly fear. That would be for you or someone you know to die without knowing God in a personal way.
So if you were to die today and stand before God and He were to ask you, “Why should I let you in to my heaven?” What would you say? What do you think you could possibly do to earn favor with God? The answer is: Absolutely NOTHING. He has already done all the work to secure a personal and intimate relationship with Him now and for eternity through Jesus Christ. Your part is simply to receive His free gift through belief.

Why do you need God?
So often, our concept of God and His expectations is muddled because we do not think as God thinks. We tend to believe that life is graded on a curve and if you do more “good” things than “bad” things, God is obliged to accept you. This is not an accurate understanding of God. In His Word, the Bible, He tells us exactly what He thinks and expects. Yet, how do you know the Bible is true and actually God’s message to us? That is an incredibly important question. If you choose to study and research, you will find out that God proves His Word (the Bible) to be true over and over through the fulfilled prophecies that were foretold thousands of years ago. In fact, many have set out to prove the Bible wrong, only to become believers themselves. Why? Because, in exploring the historical evidence, they realized the Bible proves itself to be true and infallible again and again. Two books you might find of interest in this regard are “More than a Carpenter” by Josh McDowell (an attorney) and “The Case for Christ” by Lee Strobel (an investigative reporter).

So, what does the Bible really say about your relationship with God? It tells you that God loves you and wants to have a relationship with you—a personal, intimate, life-changing relationship both now and for all eternity. God has known you and loved you far before He created you. He has ordained each and every day of your life.

The need for perfection
We need to understand that God, the Creator of the universe is perfect and holy. When He first created us, we were perfect and without “sin”. (Sin is basically rebellion from God. It is every willful choice and action that says, “I know what I want and need and I will pursue it no matter what you say, God.”)

The first man and woman (Adam and Eve) chose to rebel against God by choosing the one and only thing that God asked them NOT to do…that is eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. But, they chose to rebel and eat anyway. Ever since then, man has been contaminated with sin, i.e., rebellion against God. That rebellion separates us from God. It says in the Bible that the price for rebelling against God is “death”. That death is both literal and spiritual. BUT…God so loves us, He desires to have a personal relationship with us and give us eternal life with Him after our physical bodies die.

The gift of eternal life
The familiar verse you so often see held up at ball games, John 3:16, tells us how to know God in a personal way and receive His gift of eternal life. It says, “For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Jesus Christ, the Son of God is actually God incarnate. He is God in a physical body. He loved us enough to come and live among us in a physical body. He knows our needs, our weaknesses and our pain. Since the penalty for our sin is death, Jesus came to pay that price. He did this by living the perfect life. He came to our earth for the sole purpose of dying for us…in our place.

Yes, that may sound bizarre, but God loved us that much. And our salvation—our eternal security—is  based on whether we accept or reject that fact. It’s that simple. Believe in the Son, Jesus Christ.

Later in the same book of John, chapter 14, verse 6, Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father but through me.” God never refuses to save anyone who believes. Yet, He does not force anyone to accept.

The price is death
Once we truly understand that God’s holiness and our imperfection are incompatible, we begin to appreciate why Christ came and died. In Romans 3:23, the Bible says, “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” That means everyone, to include those we think are extremely spiritual like Billy Graham or Mother Teresa. He also says in Romans 6:23 that “the price that must be paid for sin is death”. That is eternal separation from God.

The rules governing who goes to heaven or hell are established by God’s nature and are unchangeable. He is the judge and jury. A perfect sacrifice for sin is required. That sacrifice is Christ. If you accept Christ’s death as the payment for your sin—past, present and future—you are cleansed and made holy. Christ not only died, but rose from the dead to new life. When you believe, you experience a spiritual birth and are reborn as a child of God; hence the term, “born again Christian”. In John 3:3, Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.” Through faith in Christ, you experience a fundamental change in your nature so that you can now coexist with a holy God.

How do you accept Christ as your Savior?
You don’t have to pray a formal prayer, walk down an aisle or perform a ritual. You don’t have to be in church. You can be driving in your car, sitting at work or in the comfort of your home. You don’t have to “clean up your act” first, either. Believe me, you can never be good enough! God doesn’t require you to do anything. Just recognize and believe in your heart that the work is already done through the sacrifice of Christ. When you have heard the truth, it is time to make a decision. The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:2 that God has said, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you. Behold, now is ‘the acceptable time’, behold, now is ‘the day of salvation.’”

None of us know when our time will be up, but we do know that day will come. Heaven is most simply defined as where God is. It is a place of rest, glory, purity, fellowship and joy in the presence of God. Hell is a place of eternal separation from God and all that is good forever. Hell is a place reserved for people who have been judged and found guilty of unbelief—those who die without trusting Christ as Savior. Christ’s desire to rescue you from Hell motivated Him to die an excruciating death for you. The precise moment you place your faith and trust in the work and person of Jesus Christ is when you are born again and begin an intimate relationship with God through Christ for all eternity!

A simple prayer
One of the wonderful things about believing in Christ is that it gives you direct access to God through prayer. You do not need a priest or anyone to pray for you. You can be assured He hears every word and He yearns to hear from you. While a prayer does not “save” you…it does communicate your heart to God and help you confirm your belief that Jesus Christ died for your sins and secured eternal life for you. You can tell God what is on your heart with a simple prayer such as this:

Heavenly Father, thank you for drawing me to you and showing me the way to have a personal and intimate relationship with you. I confess I am a sinner and accept that you sent your Son, Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for my sin. I believe it is by His blood alone that I can be saved and receive your free gift of eternal life. Thank you for dying for me and forgiving me of all my sins – past, present and future. Help me to follow you and learn more about your plan for my life by studying your Word in the Bible. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

When you accept Christ as your personal savior, His Holy Spirit comes to reside in you and you can experience that peace, hope and joy we spoke about, regardless of your circumstances. God does not promise to take away your troubles, but He does promise to walk through them with you.

In order to truly experience that peace, hope and joy, you need to learn about God and His plan for your life. If you prayed that prayer, you might be wondering what to expect now, what to do and what to remember. No worries. We’ve provided a simple pamphlet to answer your questions and lead you through your first Bible Study. The Bible was written for you and to you so that you can know and understand God’s will for your life. Click on the image and get started today. And may God richly bless you on your spiritual journey.