THE OFFER
My friend, you've made it this far for whatever reason...
Perhaps you're like me...
Who for 30+ years aimlessly chased after the "things" of this world that would time after time leave me feeling empty & thirsting for more once the “newness” faded or the party was over. I had every advantage & no shortage of anything I wanted, but constantly found myself searching for more, as no person or "thing" could fill the void. I would find temporary happiness, but it was contingent upon my cirumstances, distractions or produced by whatever intoxicants I put in my body...but there was no true "joy" to living...no real sense of purpose or meaning of life.
Jesus said in reference to the things of this world that "whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst."
This statement should be written over every desire you have.
What are you hoping to attain in life? What goals are you pressing toward? Whatever it is, write over it "Drink of this water, but you will thirst again." There is nothing in the material realm that will satisfy your spiritual thirst & longing of your soul. That can only be filled by the Spirit of God whether you admit it or not. That is true for every one of us, whether we are considered the elite, or the outcast of society. Jesus Christ is the Living Water & will meet all our needs, but only on His terms & by His Spirit.
Who knows?
Maybe my situation was nothing like yours today & you’re perfectly content where you're at in life.
Maybe you don’t think about what comes next or even care right now. I still urge you to take the words of this site to heart & at the very least investigate them for yourself (see the "resources" page). Because at the end of the day, your eternity depends on it.
You hear many people today say things like "the Bible is fake" & "nobody knows what happens after this life." But, since none of these people (including Muhammad, Buddah, Joseph Smith, Richard Dawkins, Charles Darwin or anyone else) proved they were God by performing miracles, being crucified & rising from the dead as Jesus did - & with eye witness accounts for every event - I'm going to take Jesus' word instead.
Dude, I got A.D.D. & things to do...
Just get to the point!
Ok! Ok! Here it goes...
As sinners, (yup...all of us, including you & me), no matter how "good" we think we are, we've broken the laws of our Creator, separating ourselves from God with His wrath abiding on us & once this life ends, we'll be sentenced to an eternty in hell.
"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Romans 6:23
Am I Doomed?
Nope! You have a God who loves you & sent His Son Jesus to take your guilty sentence for you!
The Bible tells us:
"For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16
How Can I Be Sure?
Because Romans 10:9 tells us that "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord & believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
You say, "Done deal! I believe Jesus died on the cross for me & rose from the dead." Bada-bing, bada-boom! Am I good now to do what I want!?"
Hang on there, tiger...merely believing that Jesus rose from the dead is only the beginning. You must also put your trust in Him & repent (turn-away) from your sins.
For instance, you can believe that a certain person would make a great spouse, but that's not enough to make that person your husband or wife. You must go beyond the intellectual to volitional - you must put your trust in that person by saying "I do."
The same is true concerning your relationship with God. Trusting Him is not just a decision of the head but one of the heart. There's a saying that "the distance between heaven & hell is about 18 inches - the distance between the head & the heart."
If you're reading this and have not received Jesus Christ as your personal Lord & Savior, you have the opportunity right now to do so, making peace with God, knowing your sins are forgiven. On top of that, you have His promise of where you'll spend your eternity after this quick pit stop on earth. All you must do is in the in the privacy of your own heart sincerely ask The Lord to come into your life & be your savior, for example:
"Dear Jesus, Please forgive me. I’m a sinner. I believe you died on the cross for me & I repent of all my sins. Come into my heart as my personal Lord & Savior. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit & make me to be the person You want me to be according to Your perfect will & grace. In Jesus name, amen."
(If you prayed that prayer & meant it, welcome to the family & please see the "resources" page)
What if I don't want to accept Christ's free offer of salvation?
You're not a robot & you don't have a gun pointed at your head, but more importantly God created you with the gift of free will. Therefore, nobody can force you to accept Christ as your personal Lord & Savior & you will continue about your day remaining in your current state of condemnation.
"For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son" - John 3:18
In simple terms, Jesus Christ died on the cross for your sins & whether you choose to accept His free gift of salvation or not is up to you. But, when you die & stand before God, your sins are either on you, or on Jesus...
"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ - Romans 8:1
If they're on you, you'll remain condemned & separated from God forever.
God will respect your choice by saying to you, "Thy will be done."
You may say, "God doesn't send anyone to hell!"
You're right. If you reject Christ & die in your sin, you'll send yourself there.
I know 100% where I'm spending my eternity after my life becomes a fart in the wind...do you?