With the fall of Adam in the garden of Eden came death. The good news? The story did not end there! John 3:16 continued the story with, “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” Yes, you got that right... everlasting life!
One great thing you need to know about God is that He does not give up on us. His hands of mercy are always stretched out, waiting for us to see the error in our ways and reach out to Him. 1 Peter 2:9 tells us that God is the One who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. This means we are no longer doomed to destruction. We have that never failing hope that though we die, yet shall we live. John 11:25
The key is to accept Jesus Christ into our lives. He is the way out. John 3:17 tells us, “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved”. Acknowledge and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that He came to save you, for John 3:18 says, “He that believeth on Him is not condemned: but He that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God”.
Regardless of how bad or evil you think you are, salvation is open to everyone. We were all born sinners, Romans 3:23 clearly says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”. This means no man was born perfect, no man was born already saved. Ignore that voice telling you that you are not good enough or that no one can save you or whatever negative thing you are hearing. Those are all lies. Luke 23:39-43 tells the story of two thieves that were crucified with Jesus, one wasted that opportunity and decided to mock Jesus instead. The second thief on the other hand, recognised it as his only opportunity to enter into eternal life and he utilised it. The thief said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom” And Jesus said to him, “Verily I say unto thee, Today shalt thou be with Me in paradise”. Luke 23:42-43. And just like that, a person who had spent his last days stealing and was being executed for it, gained everlasting life only because he believed.
Are you out there still wallowing in sin? Christ is waiting for you. No need to waste any more time. Stop having sex outside wedlock, stop cheating people, stop watching pornography, stop fantasizing about your neighbour's wife or husband, stop flirting with your secretary or your colleague as a married person, desist from pride, greed and laziness, desist from those outbursts of anger. Christ is waiting! Christ is waiting for you! Just open your heart to Him, invite Him into your life. The latter part of Matthew 9:13 says, “For I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance”.
Or did you once believe in Christ but in the course of life you have gone astray, you have forgotten your first love, you have departed from the path of righteousness? Do not be disheartened, there is always a provision for a U-turn. You can come back to Christ, He has not given up on you, He has not turned His back on you. Remember the story of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. A son beloved of the father decided to leave the true path and go on his own way. When he returned to the father to beg to be treated as a slave, was he turned away? No! The father threw a huge feast in his honour and welcomed him with open arms. Do you remember the story of Peter? After working so closely with Christ, learning at His feet and seeing so many miracles, he denied Christ at the first sign of trouble in Matthew 26:69-75. Peter denied Christ not once, not twice but three times. Still, that was not the end of his story. The same Peter who denied Christ three times won about three thousand souls after preaching his first sermon in Acts 2:14-41 and he went on to become one of the pillars of the early church.
Have you been an unsteady Christian? Hot today, cold tomorrow. Or has your faith been shaken by the challenges of life and you find yourself beginning to entertain doubts or harbouring anger against God? Your case is not lost, your story is not finished. The apostle Paul testified in 2 Timothy 3:11 that, “Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me.” 2 Timothy 3:12 also says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution”. This means you and I as Christians, should not expect the road to be smooth all the way, there will definitely be bumps and gallops and flat tyres and fuel stops in this journey of life but God is always there to see us through. Return to God today, hold unto Him again and this time around, don’t let go.
Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: If any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with Me”. This is an invitation to you, yes you! Christ is at the door of your heart knocking. Open the door today and accept Him as your Lord and personal saviour. Romans 10:9 concludes that, “If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved”. And as simple as that, eternal life will become yours!
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