Do you know about this?…
 

    God’s Love And His Plan:

        Here’s something to ponder…

        The Bible - God's written words to all of us - says that God created

        Since God planned for us to have peace and a wonderful life right
        now, why are most people not having this experience?

    Our Problem:

         God did not make us like “robots” to simply do what He tells us
         to do, but He gave us freedom of choice.  Unfortunately, we’ve
         all made the wrong choice.  We want to be in charge of our own
         lives and most of us think we're pretty good at being in charge, BUT...

        You see, the Bible says that everyone has sinned and fallen short of
        the glory of God. Sin is when we choose to do things our way instead
        of God's way.  The "Glory of God" is His holiness... His perfection...
        and because we're all guilty of - at least once in our lives - deciding to
        do it OUR way, we're all guilty of sin which keeps us separated from
        God.  We can never measure up to His perfection.
 

        Even if you come from a Christian background and you have been
        baptised in the church and you're very faithful to your church,
        or you donate lots of money to help others, or you serve on church
        committees or you teach Sunday School, or you play the organ for
        church services, you still have the problem called sin-guilt that will
        keep you separated from God.

       BUT... The good news is that God knew that - left to our own - none
       of us would ever merit heaven, SO...
 

   God’s Remedy: SUBSTITUTION

       God has a plan.  In His plan, He offers us a gift called salvation.
       Salvation happens when we exchange our sin-guilt for the innocence
       of Jesus Christ.  Salvation can happen because Jesus took OUR place,
       for the payment of OUR sins, allowing himself to be nailed to a
       wooden cross that the Roman culture used to punish criminals.

      Crosses that we have in our churches are usually beautiful pieces of
      art work - but the cross where Jesus died was not beautiful.  It was
      brutal and bloody because it was a picture of OUR sin.

      Jesus - completely innocent - died on a cross to pay OUR sin debt.

      You see, God is a God of justice and He has said that sin will be paid
      for, one way or another.

      He is also a God of mercy, and He also said... "But I am going to pay
      your sin debt for you so YOU don't have to."  (2 Corinthians 5:19-21)

      So God came to this earth in the form of the man, Jesus Christ, and
      died an awful death on the cross. However, three days later, He rose
      from the dead - proving He was God and now give us the opportunity
      to ask for His gift of salvation.
 

      The Bible explains the gift of salvation in John 3:16.  It says that God
      loved us so much that He gave His only Son, Jesus, to die in our place
      and that whoever believes in Jesus will not be separated from God, but
      will live with Him in heaven FOREVER!
 

      Now, this doesn't mean that you "believe in Jesus" intellectually...
      because the Bible says that even the demons believe.

      So then, what does "believe in Jesus" mean as its mentioned in John 3:16?

      Jesus, I see what you've done for me and I want YOU IN CHARGE
      of my life.  I want YOU IN CHARGE of what I say and what I do;
      and I want YOU IN CHARGE of my eternal destiny.  If we believe
      in Jesus that way, asking Him to take over our lives, we let go of our
      control and our sin-guilt and we receive His control and His
      innocence...Salvation!  His salvation brings forgiveness and eternal
      life in Heaven to ANYONE who will believe.

   PRAYER

      If you would like to receive God's gift of salvation, YOU can...
      no matter what you've done or who you are.  You can confirm
      your decision through prayer (talking to God).

      (The following is a suggested prayer for you to use.)

      "Dear God: I believe that Jesus is your son.  I believe that He died on
      the cross for my sins and then He rose from the dead.  I confess that
      I'm a sinner.  I need your forgiveness.  Please forgive me.  I choose to
      turn away from following my own way.  I choose to follow Jesus.
      Thank you for your gift of salvation.  I receive it.  And I thank you for
      Your Holy Spirit who comes to live in my life.  I pray all of this in the
      name of Jesus.  Amen."
 

   GOD'S ASSURANCE

      If you meant what you said in your prayer, you can be assured that
      you received God's gift of salvation - not because you did or did not
      feel anything, but because God's Word, (The Bible) said it - and we
      can depend on God's Word - John 3:16.
 

      The Bible also says...

      "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just (right) to forgive our
       sins and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness."  (1 John 1:9)

      "...for everyone who calls on the name of the Lord WILL be saved."
       (Romans 10:13)

      "He who has the Son (Jesus) has life; he who does not have the Son
       of God (Jesus) does not have life."  (1 John 5:12)
 

   What Next?

        If you’ve just accepted Christ into your life, this is only the beginning
        of a wonderful new life in Him.  To deepen your relationship with Him,
        you should strive to do the following:

            1.) Read the Bible regularly, in order to know Christ better.
             (You might want to start off by reading a book in the Bible
                    known as St. Luke.)

            2.) Talk to God, in prayer, every day.   It’s not so important as to the
                  words that you use when you pray to him… just be honest and
                  sincere.  He knows your thoughts, your motives, and your heart.

            3.) Tell others about your new faith in Christ.

            4.) Attend a local church, where the Bible is taught/preached, so that
                 you can mingle with others in order to worship and learn of Christ
                 together from His word (the Bible).

            5.) As Christ’s representative in a needy world, demonstrate your
                 “new life” by showing your love and concern for others.