The Bible says that life here on earth is just a vapor. We are only foreigners here, just passing through. This world is not the end, but we have a choice to make as to where we will spend eternity. If you know Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, you can have eternal life with Him in Heaven. Jesus said in John 14, I go and prepare a place for you and if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself , that where I am there you may be also. Not only that, when you know Jesus , you can have an abundant life right here on earth. Jesus said in John 10, I come that you might have life and have it more abundantly.
When I think of death I think about the story of Lazarus in in John 11. Jesus arrived in Bethany four days after Lazarus had died. He found many mourners trying to comfort Mary and Martha (Lazarus' sisters).As Jesus approached, Martha met Him in the road and said, Lord if you would have only been here our brother would not have died. Jesus said to her, your brother will rise again; do you believe this? Martha replied, yes Lord at the resurrection just like you told us. Jesus said, I am the resurrection and the life, if a man believes in Me he shall live, even though he dies and if a man lives and believes in me, he shall never die. He then raised Lazarus from the dead. So for a believer in Jesus Christ we simply just change addresses from this sin-filled world to Paradise. Paul said, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and to live is Christ, but to die is gain.
I ran from the Lord for 23 years. Do not make the same mistake I did. I thought I could make it on my own, but I was terribly wrong. I realized that I was not in control and that I had no true peace in my life. I realized that I was a sinner in need of a Savior who could forgive me of my sins and save my soul. John 3:16 became more real to me than ever before, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. I realized that God loved me so much that He was willing to let His Son pay the price for my sins. He died for all of us,; the very least we can do is to live for Him. The Bible is clear on how to be saved. Romans 10:9 says, if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you shall be saved. We have to invite Him in. Jesus said, I stand at the door of your heart and knock, if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in.
Accepting Jesus Christ is a simple act of the will. It may be emotional, but it does not have to be. There may be bells and whistles going off, but there might not be. For me, it was something I knew that I desparately needed to do to truly have joy in my life. I realized that I had nothing to lose by accepting Christ and everything to gain. Jesus changed me completely, a new life is mine and that is why by the Cross of Calvary I will stand.
If you would like to invite Jesus to come into your heart, you can pray the same prayer I did when I was 23 years old. Just pray it from your heart and Jesus will come in and change you for the better forever. The prayer is: Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins and that you arose from the grave. I now ask You to forgive my sins and to save my soul. I want to live my life for you Jesus and I surrender my life to you. Thank you for forgiving, saving, and loving me. Amen
If you prayed the prayer or rededicated your life to Christ, we would love to hear about it so we can pray for you.
Keep looking up and may our Savior abundantly bless you.
In His Service, Ashby
