"Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you." Matthew 5:11-13 (ESV)
The age old question that many Christians have always struggled with is how could they earn a spot in heaven. After all, we Christians are sinners and try as hard as we might to always do what is right, we fail miserably. The words of the Bible are easy to understand, but carrying them out correctly throughout our daily lives is the difficult part. So how is it that we can ever be worthy of the gift of eternal life?
We have a wealth of teachings from the Bible to show us the way. From the Old Testament and the law of the Ten Commandments which clearly provide us a list of "shall nots". we move on to the New Testament and the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reveals clearly what He expects of us as humans by providing guidance to us. And frankly, we humans often become discouraged because all of us have committed violations of His rules and guidance and we just find ourselves as being weak and frail. But Jesus understands this, after all He was the only man to ever walk on earth who was perfect, and it is through His grace that we are able to attain salvation.
We earn a chance to be with him through love and forgiveness, and just like he has loved us and has forgiven us for our sins, he expects us to do the same toward others. If we live for Him with love in our heart he will help us fight the temptations that are always present before us. And if we place Him first in our lives all other things will be taken care of.
Think of it this way. Jesus, a God and a Man, was sent to earth to provide us the opportunity to attain everlasting life at his table. And even though He was put to death in the most horrific and painful way possible, crucifixion, and suffered in a very human way, even then just before dying He asked His Father to forgive them who did this to Him. What's more, he told one of the two criminals who asked Him to be remembered that he would join Him that very day in heaven. If He could forgive under those circumstances and under that severe pain and suffering, H can certainly forgive us as well. All we have to do is sincerely ask and give our lives to him.
Everything that happened in His life was done according to God's master plan. And the entire plan was to provide us with faith, hope and love through his example, ultimately leading to our salvation. The choice is up to each of us individually. We have the free will to either accept or reject His offer. We can live forever in glory and the warmth of his light, or we can die. What decision are you going to make?
Remember, the decision each of us make will impact our lives forever. Choose Christ and you choose life.
The age old question that many Christians have always struggled with is how could they earn a spot in heaven. After all, we Christians are sinners and try as hard as we might to always do what is right, we fail miserably. The words of the Bible are easy to understand, but carrying them out correctly throughout our daily lives is the difficult part. So how is it that we can ever be worthy of the gift of eternal life?
We have a wealth of teachings from the Bible to show us the way. From the Old Testament and the law of the Ten Commandments which clearly provide us a list of "shall nots". we move on to the New Testament and the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus reveals clearly what He expects of us as humans by providing guidance to us. And frankly, we humans often become discouraged because all of us have committed violations of His rules and guidance and we just find ourselves as being weak and frail. But Jesus understands this, after all He was the only man to ever walk on earth who was perfect, and it is through His grace that we are able to attain salvation.
We earn a chance to be with him through love and forgiveness, and just like he has loved us and has forgiven us for our sins, he expects us to do the same toward others. If we live for Him with love in our heart he will help us fight the temptations that are always present before us. And if we place Him first in our lives all other things will be taken care of.
Think of it this way. Jesus, a God and a Man, was sent to earth to provide us the opportunity to attain everlasting life at his table. And even though He was put to death in the most horrific and painful way possible, crucifixion, and suffered in a very human way, even then just before dying He asked His Father to forgive them who did this to Him. What's more, he told one of the two criminals who asked Him to be remembered that he would join Him that very day in heaven. If He could forgive under those circumstances and under that severe pain and suffering, H can certainly forgive us as well. All we have to do is sincerely ask and give our lives to him.
Everything that happened in His life was done according to God's master plan. And the entire plan was to provide us with faith, hope and love through his example, ultimately leading to our salvation. The choice is up to each of us individually. We have the free will to either accept or reject His offer. We can live forever in glory and the warmth of his light, or we can die. What decision are you going to make?
Remember, the decision each of us make will impact our lives forever. Choose Christ and you choose life.
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