Jesus, Only Jesus

My mom left a really awesome legacy.  At her receiving of friends/funeral we received comfort from tons of people whose lives she had touched.  My mom did not encourage others, teach, send them cards, etc. for her glory, but for God’s.  You see, the legacy my mom left was truly the legacy of Jesus Christ.  My mom met Jesus in her early 20’s, and from that point forward, she carried the light of Jesus Christ.  I am forever grateful that my mom received Jesus in her heart.  Because of her and my dad’s relationship with Christ, they raised me to know the message of the Gospel.

What is the message of the Gospel?  The message is actually quite simple: I was dead, but now I am alive.  Yes, I have always been physically alive, but before I received Jesus into my heart I was spiritually dead.  Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  Because I had sinned, even if it was just once (which it wasn’t!), I deserved eternal death.  However, God loved me SO much that He did not want eternal death to be my only option.  God sent His son Jesus Christ into the world to save me and the world from sin.  Jesus was absolutely perfect and never did any wrong.  This had to be because the sacrificial lamb (Jesus) had to have no sin in order to forgive the sins of the world.  Jesus died a horrible, cruel death on the cross, and on that cross, Jesus bore my sins, and then the sins of all the world.  Jesus was buried, but 3 days later, God resurrected Jesus from the dead.  Jesus is ALIVE!  Because Jesus is alive, I can be truly alive.  This is why the end of Romans 6:23 says, “…but the gift of God is eternal LIFE in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  A key word here is the word gift.  This gift is free to everyone, but you must accept the gift.  At the age of 7, I realized my sin and need for a Savior and accepted this gift of eternal life.  It was the best decision I have ever made.  No, I am nowhere near perfect.  I still fail daily, but God’s grace is sufficient for all of my sins of the past, present, and future.  Because Jesus is in my life, Jesus guides me, protects me, and gives me joy, even in the midst of trials.  Because of Jesus, I am spiritually ALIVE and have a hope and a future!

So my question to you is this: Have you accepted this gift?  My mom did, and because she did, she is now living with Jesus eternally.  I’m sure if she could send us 1 message from heaven it would be to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior so that you can live eternally with Him too.  Heaven is not a place you want to miss.  There is no secret formula or prayer to becoming a Christian.  The Bible is very clear in Romans 10:9 that, “If you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ & believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Don’t miss out on Jesus.  Jesus is the only way to life.  If you’ve accepted this gift, share it with others.  If you’re a new Christian, I strongly encourage you to get involved in a local Bible believing church and grow in your walk with Christ.  Shine the light of Christ and leave a legacy for Christ like my mom did, not for your glory, but for the glory of God.