God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
God's Love "God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that who ever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life" (John 3:16, NIV).
God's Plan [Christ speaking] "I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly" [that it might be full and meaningful] (John 10:10).
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the abundant life?
Because...
Law # 2
Man is sinful and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience God's love and plan for his life.
Man Is Sinful "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Roman 3:23).
Man Is Separated "The wages of sin is dealth" [spiritual separation from God] (Romans 6:23).
The third law explains the only way to bridge this gulf...
Law # 3
Jesus Christ is God's only provision for man's sin. Through Him you can know and experience God's love and plan for your life.
He Died In Our Place "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).
He Rose From the Dead "Christ died for our sins... He was burised... He was raised on the third day, according to the Scritures... He appeared to Peter, then to the twelve. After that He apeared to more than five hundred..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).
He Is the Only Way to God "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me'" (John 14:6).
It is not enough just to know these three laws...
Law # 4
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord; then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.
We Must Receive Christ "As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name" (John 1:2).
We Receive Christ Through Faith "By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works that no one should boast" (Ephesians 2:8,9).
When We Receive Christ, We Experience a New Birth (Read John 3:1-8)
We Receive Christ Through Personal Invitation
[Christ speaking] "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if any one hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).
Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance)and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to make us what He wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have and emotional exerience. We recieve Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of the will.
Suggestions for Christian Growth
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. "The righteous man shall live by faith" (Galatian 3:11). A life of faith will enable you to trust God increasingly with every detail of your life, and to practice the following:
G-R-O-W-T-H
G - GO to God in prayer dialy (John 15:7). R - READ God's Word daily (Acts 17:11) O - OBEY God moment by moment (John 14:21) W - WITNESS for Christ by your life and words (Mat 4:19; Jn 15:8) T - TRUST God for every detail of your life (1 Peter 5:7) H - HOLY SPIRIT - allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness (Galatians 5:16,17; Acts 1:8).
