How To Meet Him
Who is Missing in Our Lives?
Each one of us is born with a God-shaped vacuum in our lives. We attempt to fill this void with many things. We try to find purpose and meaning in life and despite all of our efforts we come up empty.
That is because there is a spiritual emptiness in each of us. Possessions, success, relationships, drugs and other passions all fall miserably short of occupying this space. In fact, even religion cannot fill the void in our heart.
Only Jesus can fill this vaccum and He knows you. He knows everything about you and He loves you. Don’t you want to know Him? You can, here’s how:
The obstacle of sin:
The reason that we have a God-shaped vacuum in our lives is because we’re all born in sin and sin separates us from God.
King David said in Psalm 51:5, “I was born a sinner – yes, from the moment my mother conceived me.” We were all born with a nature to do wrong.
Let’s look at what sin is.
1. Sin is Missing the Mark:
Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” There is a standard that we fall short of; that standard being that God requires is perfection.
One definition of sin, derived from the Greek work hamartia, is to “miss the mark.” We all miss the mark of perfection required by God. Although our sinful nature makes it impossible for us to live up to God’s standard, we cannot blame sin on our nature alone. Sin is also a deliberate act.
2. Sin is a Deliberate Act
To do wrong, or sin, is a decision that we make and a deliberate action that we take. Because sin is a deliberate action, we cannot blame our sin on our society, environment or mental or physical state. Everyone has chosen to do what was wrong. If we protest this point, “we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth.” (1 John 1:8).
3. Sin has Consequences
According to the Bible, our sin has offended a holy God. We have not done this once or twice, but so many times that we are unable to keep count. Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death” A wage is something you get paid; our sin will pay us with eternal death in the end. The ultimate consequence of our sin is eternal separation from God in a place of punishment and torment called Hell.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that God has given us a way to escape the penalty of our sin. He has made it possible for our sin to be forgiven and forgotten (Jeremiah 31:34) so that we can enjoy eternal life with Him.
The Sin Solution: Jesus Christ
God understands our problem and knows that we can do nothing about it. Because God loves us, He sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to bridge the chasm of sin that separates us from Him (John 3:16).
Jesus can bridge that gap because He was born without sin. He was conceived by the Holy Spirit of a young virgin named Mary (Luke 1:26-37) and also lived a sinless life (1 Peter 2:22; 2 Corinthians 5:21).
Jesus is the only one who has met God’s standard of perfection. So how does that help you?
God knows that we are unable to live a perfect life and because He is holy and just He cannot ignore our sin. The sin solution requires of us perfection and penalty. Jesus did both. He lived a perfect life without sin and also paid the penalty of our sin when He died on the cross.
"This includes you who were once so far away from God. You were His enemies, separated from Him by your evil thoughts and actions, yet now He has brought you back as His friends. He has done this through His death on the cross in His own human body. As a result, He has brought you into the very presence of God, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault." -Colossians 1:22-22
This act of love on Jesus’ behalf requires a response from us.
How will you respond?
There’s only one of two ways a person can respond: you can reject Jesus or receive Jesus.
To reject Jesus is to ignore your sin problem and the solution that God offers.
To receive Jesus is to admit that you have a sin problem and accept God’s offer, it’s that easy!
Accepting God’s Offer
Accepting God’s offer requires a couple of things:
- Repent of your sins As Jesus began His public ministry, His first message was “Repent of your sins” (Mark 1:15).
The word repent means to change your direction. The Bible tells us, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). God commands us to repent. You must be willing to turn away from the things that displease God.
- Receive Jesus into Your Life
Having seen that God requires perfection and penalty for our sin; and acknowledging that the only solution that He offers is Jesus, we must decide to turn from our sin and turn our lives over to Jesus.
By surrendering your life to Jesus you are acknowledging His right to rule over your life. No longer do you decide what’s right in your life, but you allow Him to decide. You surrender control of your life to Him.
He has a wonderful plan for your life and He’ll reveal it to you as you seek Him every day in His Word, by prayer and fellowshipping with His people. Your life will never be the same, are you ready to meet Him?
If you are, say this prayer and mean it with all your heart:
God, I’m sorry for my sin. I turn from it right now. I thank you for sending Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sin. Jesus, I ask you to come into my heart and life right now. Be my Lord, Savior and friend. Help me to follow you all the days of my life as your disciple. Thank you for forgiving and receiving me right now. Thank you that my sin is forgiven and that I am going to heaven. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
- Rededicating Your Life to Jesus Christ
Perhaps you’ve already surrendered your life to Jesus; but over time you have strayed from Him. Great news! He always allows you to come back to Him.
God will forgive you right now if you will return to Him. He tells us, “My wayward children…come back to me, and I will heal your wayward hearts” (Jeremiah 3:22). If you would like to return to God and rededicate your life to Him right now, you may want to pray something like this:
God, I am sorry for my sin. I am sorry that I have strayed from you. I ask you to forgive me now as I repent of my sin. I don’t want to live like a prodigal any longer. Renew and revive me as I once again follow you as my God. Thank you for your forgiveness. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.
Whether you prayed to make a first time commitment or you’ve recommitted your life, you have made the right decision. But more importantly, God has changed your eternal destiny. Instead of fearing an eternal punishment in a place called hell, you will spend peaceful eternity in His presence in heaven.
ShareThis