Have you noticed that life doesn’t get easier the older you become? Our carefree and confident childhood and teen years are too soon replaced with the challenges of marriage, children, and career. All our relationships and responsibilities can bring exhaustion, discouragement and even despair.
As we get older our circumstances change, no more carpooling kids 24-7, but the stress of decisions, relationships, financial matters, and health issues remain. Shouldn’t life get easier the more experience you have? Shouldn’t there be a certain age or maybe a set of circumstances we can achieve that will make life easier? We can always hope, right?
Placing hope in just the right relationship, the happiness and health of our children, the “everything looks good” report from the doctor, our satisfaction in our career choice, the health of our parents and our well-planned retirement often results in an unsure optimism. Our hope in something or someone doesn’t always prove to be reliable.
The hope that we often have is simply a wish for something to happen or an expectation without certainty. You might be interested to know that in the Bible hope is not uncertainty or wishful thinking. Hope in the Bible is an expression of certainty and trust that what God says is true.
In the Bible, hope is synonymous with salvation and its many blessings. The blessings of salvation include God’s forgiveness of your sin, God’s acceptance of you as His precious child, and God’s promise of life with Him in heaven.
The good news is that all of God’s blessings of salvation are offered to you as a gift. A gift that requires you to accept His Son Jesus as your Savior and Lord. Is there any reason why you would want to refuse God’s gift to you?
Here’s the good news of salvation.
First, you must acknowledge that you have sinned. We have all done things that are displeasing to God and the Bible says that no one is innocent.
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.
~ Romans 3:23
Second, you need to recognize the consequences of your sin. The Bible says the wages of our sin is death. Not just a physical death, but an eternal death. A separation from the God who created us.
For the wages of sin is death.
~ Romans 6:23a
Third, you can rejoice because Jesus paid the price for your sins on the cross. Jesus’ resurrection proves that God accepted Jesus’ death as the payment for your sins. It also means we have a risen Savior who continues to work in our lives.
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
~ Romans 6:23b
Fourth, you can accept God’s gift by confessing Jesus as Lord. Because Jesus paid the price for your sin on the cross, all you have to do is fully believe in Him.
because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9
Fifth, you can live as one with hope for today and for eternity because of Jesus.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
1 Peter 1:3
Would you like to accept God’s gift of salvation? Would you like to experience the hope that Jesus can give? Here’s a simple prayer you can pray to God.
Dear God, I know that I have sinned against you and am deserving of punishment. But I know that Jesus Christ took my punishment on the cross so that through faith in Him I could receive forgiveness. I place my trust in Jesus for my salvation and I invite Him to come into my life as my Savior and Lord. Thank you for saving me and giving me a living hope! Help me to live for You each day and to share my new hope with my family and friends. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
If you chose to pray this prayer or a similar one today, welcome to the family of God! I encourage you to share this decision with someone immediately, preferably a believer in Jesus Christ who can give you more information about Jesus and how to grow in your relationship with Him.
I’m sure you have many questions about Jesus, what He did for you on the cross, your new relationship with Him, and the Bible. I could not possibly answer all those questions here. Plus, you will find that you will spend the rest of your life growing in that knowledge.
The Bible tells us that when we accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit moves into our lives to help us grow in Christlikeness. He will help you understand the Bible, hear from Him, forsake any treasured sins and obey His commands. The process will be gradual, but you will begin to notice changes in your life. Before, you may have noticed God at work around you. But now He will be at work in you as well. And you will find that He gives you peace where once you had anxiety, hope where once you despaired.
Two More Things I’d Like for You to Do
- Please find a local Christian church to attend this Easter Sunday if possible. If you can’t get out and go to church, I invite you to watch my church’s worship service at 11 a.m. EDT HERE.
- Please email me at kay(at)kayharms.com to tell me about your decision today. If you prayed this prayer for the first time today and will email me your mailing address, I will send you a book to help you get started on your journey with the Lord. Bless you!