Dear All My Friends,
Over my life I have met many people. Some I have known for a long time, some for a brief time. Some I am still very close to, some have unfortunately drifted away. Some I have been very loyal too, others I have regretfully wronged. Regardless of the past, today I can say, I care about all of you. That is why I am writing you today. If I could tell you all just one thing, it would be this. Because ultimately, nothing else in this world is as important as what I’m about to share with you. In the big picture of life, only this matters.
Recently the Lord Jesus Christ has changed my life and I wanted to write you this letter to encourage you and let you know about this great Hope that can only be found in Jesus Christ. You may already know about this great Hope and if you do I want to encourage you to share it with someone else who may need to hear it.
The world we live in today is full of hardship and brokenness. I know many are struggling and suffering in our world today. However, this broken world was not God’s plan for us.
God originally made a perfect world and the first two humans he made were perfect in the beginning. However, these first two humans were deceived and they disobeyed God’s command. When this happened sin entered our world and broke everything. The worst part is it broke mankind’s relationship with God. Every human born after these first two was born with sin in their heart. That means that all of mankind has sin within them. The Bible tells us that sin has a punishment which is death apart from God, forever. This is the bad news for mankind. But there is some really good news. It’s great news. It’s called the Gospel.
The good news is that God doesn’t want to be separated from me and you. We are all his creation and He loves you, me and all people. Every person is important to God. God loves everyone of us so much that he created a rescue plan for us. God chose to enter the earth himself in the form of a human, Jesus Christ. He came for one reason, to take the punishment for our sin, because he loves you and me so much.
All of us deserve God’s punishment for sin, but we don’t ever have to take that punishment when we know Jesus as our Lord and Savior. Jesus, who is actually God in human form, grew from a new born baby into a man. He had all the characteristics of a man, but was also God at the sametime. At the end of his time on earth, evil men became very jealous of him and they decided to kill him. However, it was God’s plan for Jesus to die all along. Jesus HAD to die to take the punishment for our sin. (Since the punishment for sin is death, that was the only way).
So Jesus allowed these evil men to beat him and hang him on a cross where he died and took the punishment for my sin and your sin. God poured out his full wrath for the sin of all mankind on Jesus instead of us. Three day’s later Jesus rose from the dead, proving He was indeed God and that our sin had been completely paid for and washed away. His death restored our relationship with God and we can now live forever in Heaven because of what Jesus did.
Why did God go to all this trouble? Jesus didn’t do anything wrong, he was perfect. What made Jesus willingly take this punishment? God’s love for you is the reason he did it. It’s the reason he came. So now, because of what Jesus did, we can know God and live forever in heaven with Him.
Now that is the greatest gift ever. It’s the gift of forgiveness and eternal life in heaven, from Jesus. This gift of eternal life is free. You can’t earn it or work for it. It’s given to us freely as grace. Jesus is holding out the free gift of heaven for all of us. He has taken the punishment for our sin and we can live with Him forever in heaven if we accept it.
BUT first, we have to make the choice to receive this gift from Jesus. There is no forgiveness for our sin until we accept his gift of grace. Accepting this gift means that we want Jesus to be the new King of our life. It means we are willing to turn from our old sinful life and live a new life Jesus’s way, every single day. It means that he’s in charge of how we live our life now.
Anyone can receive Jesus right now. You don’t have to be perfect or sinless, but you have to be willing to turn from sin, call Jesus your Lord, and let Him start to change your heart. You also have to believe that He is the Son of God, that He has paid the penalty for your sin with his blood, that He is alive in heaven today and He will return to this earth one day. If this is where your heart is then proclaim this to Jesus right now through prayer. His grace is for all people, and he will save anyone that comes to Him.
Friend, I’m not sure why the Lord has placed you on my heart and prompted me to write you this letter. But know that I am praying for you and I want you to know the peace, rest, love, joy and great hope that is found only in Jesus Christ.
For the Glory of God and in Love!
