Believe it or not, Jesus came to this earth and died on a cross for a purpose. He gave up His life to save YOU! He paid the ultimate price so that you might be redeemed by His love and have the gift of salvation.

Do not be discouraged by your past, hope is not lost. If you're still living and breathing, there's a reason. Faith and salvation are freely given to us and available in the name of Jesus! He paid the ultimate price, died on a cross that we may find unconditional love and peace in His name!

We live in a world that is full of pain and destruction, every day on the news we hear of some shooting or natural disaster taking the lives of innocent victims. If you were to die today, do you know where you would go? My prayer for us all is that everyone finds salvation and hope in Christ. I'm beyond excited for the day our God takes us away from this world to a place prepared for us in Heaven where we can faithfully praise His name and live in a world full of love and absence of pain.

Revelations 21:4-5 says this “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful.”

Not one of us is perfect Romans 3:23 says this “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”, we have all sinned and done things we shouldn't but I want you to know that no matter what you've done there is a God whose love is everlasting; He died on the cross for you and me. He forgives us and freely offers the gift of salvation to anyone who asks Romans 10:13 says this “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” If you have a desire for Christ to live in your heart and be the very center of your life all you need to do is call up on HIS name.

First, realize you are sinner and cannot enter heaven simply by being a good person or by good works. Sin is breaking God’s law and the punishment for sin is death, something we all deserve. Romans 3:10 says this “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one” and Romans 6:23 says this “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Secondly, you must realize that God loved us so much He sent His son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for your sins and in three days He rose again. Christ paid the ultimate price so we wouldn’t have to. He did this so we could have a personal relationship with God. Romans 5:8 says this “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” and John 3:16 says this “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

Thirdly, after you have realized you are a sinner and that Christ died on the cross for your sins you must confess that you have done wrong and repent of your sin. Repenting means leaving behind your old ways, refusing to continue living in your old sinful ways and moving toward God with your whole heart. 1 John 1:9 says this “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” and 2 Corinthians 5:17 says this “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

Lastly, you must have that faith in Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY, that He is the truth and the life. The Word of God tells us that salvation is found in no one else, because there is no other name given under heaven by which we must be saved. Christ is the only way, and all you have to do is ask Him to save you and accept Him into your life as your personal savior Romans 10:13 says this “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” and John 3:36 says this “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.”

Whatever you've done or however you chose to live your life, it will not be complete or have purpose until you let Him live within you. With God in your life, ALL things are possible! I pray that each of you finds healing, grace and salvation in His name and realize the great lengths our God went through to give you life. When we have faith and believe that Christ died for us it is only then we are made whole again!

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 says this “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

If you accepted Christ into your heart, welcome to family of God! The Christian life will not be an easy one but if you persevere and keep your heart centered on Christ I guarantee you’ll have the fullest life. I know this from personal experience. There is no greater joy than having a personal relationship with God and no greater gift than being a part of His family. Your walk with God starts today. Don’t let your Christian life become dry, get involved at your local church, talk to God and be pressed in His Word daily. Walk with God, share the Gospel, love your neighbor as yourself, and keep Christ at the center of your life!

This is what it means to be a child of God.