To Know Him

You might wonder, "Why do I need to know Jesus? Why do I need to ask Him into my life?" The scriptures say (this is Jesus talking), "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6).

In order to know Jesus as your Lord and Savior you need to recognize that you are a sinner. God's word says, "All have sinned; all fall short of God's glorious ideal." (Romans 3:23). It also says in Romans 3:10, "No one is good - no one in all the world is innocent." Because of this no one deserves eternal life with God in heaven. You can't work hard enough to earn it because God only gives eternal life to those who believe that Jesus Christ is his Son.

The scriptures say in Colossians 1:20-23, "It was through what his Son did that God cleared a path for everything to come to him - all things in heaven and on earth - for Christ's death on the cross has made peace with God for all by his blood. This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were his enemies and hated him and were separated from him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now he has brought you back as his friends. He has done this through the death on the cross of his own human body, and now as a result Christ has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are standing there before him with nothing left against you - nothing left that he could even chide you for; the only condition is that you fully believe the Truth, standing in it steadfast and firm, strong in the Lord, convinced of the Good News that Jesus died for you, and never shifting from trusting him to save you. This is the wonderful news that came to each of you and is now spreading all over the world."

When you recognize that you are a sinner you need to ask Jesus to forgive you. If you believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to pay for your sins, you need to thank Him. To become "born again" you just need to pray a simple prayer that would go something like this,

Lord, I know that I'm a sinner and cannot save
myself. I thank you for dying on the cross for me.
Your blood has covered my sins, and I stand 'not
guilty' before God in Heaven because I accept the
sacrifice you made for me. I give my life to you.
Teach me to live my life in you. Amen"

If you prayed that prayer for the first time and believe it with your whole heart you need to tell someone. The scriptures say in Romans 10:8-13, "For salvation that comes from trusting Christ . . .
is already within easy reach of each of us; in fact it is as near as our own hearts and mouths. For if you tell others with your own mouth that Jesus Christ is your Lord and believe in your own heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in his heart that a person becomes right with God; and with his mouth he tells others of his faith, confirming his salvation. For the Scriptures tell us that no one who believes in Christ will ever be disappointed. . . Anyone who calls
upon the name of the Lord will be saved."

If you prayed "the sinners prayer" and accepted Christ as your Savior I would be honored to pray for you. You may e-mail me at: jan@jansmall.com. Or, if you have any questions regarding this you may phone me at (510) 656-1844. God bless you in His love.