Knowing Jesus

What do old friends do before they say good-bye? What happens at bus stops, piers, family reunions—and, deathbeds? Usually people who love one another speak of important things at such moments. They don’t waste time on the trivial or mundane. They make the parting minutes count. It’s the last time they may be together, so they share their hearts.

I realize that you and I may not know each other intimately. But, after spending time at our site, I consider you to be my friend. So, in that context, I ask myself, “What do I really want to communicate before we part?”

I suppose if there was only one thing left to say, it would be this: Please don’t sacrifice the eternal for the temporal. You see there is a real danger with websites like the one you are viewing. It is very easy to lose our heavenly focus while talking about the here and now. While there is an appropriate place for things financial, we can easily let money become our focus—and forget that one day each of us will stand before God to give an account of how we invested the time and talents He gave us.

Jesus spent a lot of His ministry dealing with money issues. Over and over again, He warned His followers not to put their trust in things that won’t last. He asked them,

“For what will a man be profited if he gains the whole world, and forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26a, NASV)

And in the Sermon on the Mount, He urged His followers,

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in and steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” (Matthew 6:19-21, NASV)

Then, in verse 24, He drives a stake in the heart of today’s secularized Christianity:

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will hold to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

Part of the Family

But, to follow Jesus, we must first know Him. We have to be part of His family. The Bible says, “…for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Unless you have made a personal, gut-level decision to accept Christ as your Savior—you are not one of His. Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6a, NIV)

Becoming part of Christ’s family is simple yet profound, easy yet demanding—in a phrase: It is a free gift that will cost all you have. This may be why Jesus urged prospective followers to count the cost of discipleship:

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” (Matthew 16:24,25, NIV)

So, you may wonder, if it is so tough—why does anyone do it? If it cost so much, why would anyone be interested? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I would like to tell you what Jesus has done for me.

Jesus has brought balance and purpose into my life. When I acknowledged my own worthlessness—He redeemed me and gave me new value. Daily, He washes all the filth and sin from my life so I can smile at the guy in the mirror. He has opened my eyes to my own shortcomings while simultaneously showing me His ability to mend all my flaws. He has carried me over roads too dark and dreadful to handle alone—and, always returned me to the sunlight. He has answered untold scores of prayers in our family. He has blessed my marriage, healed my daughter, and given us love within. When I wake up in the middle of night with a chest pain—I prayfully reach out to Him. He is always there—He’s never asleep. Gently, He reassures me that all is well. And, like the Apostle Paul, He reminds me that if I continue living it will be for Him, and if not—I’ll be in His glorious presence before my heart has completed its last beat.

Coming To Jesus

Whether you call it “getting saved,” “accepting Christ,” “coming to Jesus,” or “being born again”—it’s all the same thing. It’s that time in one’s life when she lays it all down at the cross and accepts Jesus on His terms. No excuses. No hedging. No arguing. If you are ready to get serious with Jesus, let me share the basics with you.

Begin by understanding that salvation and forgiveness are free gifts from God. There is absolutely, positively nothing you can do to earn your salvation—its is a free gift from God. Paul told the early church,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9, NIV)

The Bible tells us how we can accept this free gift of God’s grace:

1. It’s begins by hearing and believing (or, having faith) that Jesus is who He says He is—the Son of God and our savior. Romans 10:17 tells us “faith comes by hearing the word of God.” In Hebrews 11:6, we learn the importance of belief, for “without faith it is impossible to please God.”

2. We must be willing to repent (or, sorrowfully turn away from) our past sins. In Acts 17:30, the Bible says that God “commands all men, everywhere to repent.” (Also see: Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38; 2 Peter 3:9.)

3. We need to be willing to acknowledge our acceptance by confessing that Jesus is Lord—the Son of God. In Matthew 10:32, Jesus said, “He that confesses me before men, him will I also confess before my father who is in heaven.”

4. Finally, the Bible teaches that we step into Christ through a symbolic burial
called baptism. This is when we are immersed in water—allowing our old self to be buried, and arising a new creature in Christ! What a beautiful moment! In Acts 2:38, when a crowd of people asked what they had to do to be saved, the Apostle Peter told them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (Also see 1 Peter 3:21.)

Different Strokes for Different Folks

Different people respond differently. Some folks are motivated by the realization that Someone else was willing to die for them. Some people respond out of joy and love. Others don’t look up to God until they are flat on their backs. And, sadly, others never accept Jesus.

I hope you know Jesus and have accepted Him as your personal Savior. If you have—great! If we don’t meet in this world, we’ll spend some real quality time together in the next world.

But, if you haven’t come to Jesus maybe today is your day. He’s already waited a long time for you. There is no guarantee of tomorrow. You probably will never know the day they cut the flowers for your funeral or the day your coffin arrives in town. Why put it off any longer. Two months ago, one of my dear friends was baptized into Christ after putting Him off for 41 years. We buried Wayne 2 weeks ago. His wife told me he held her one night just before he died and said, “Sweetheart, I’ll never know why I waited so long.”

This Is Now Yours…

I hope you have found some of the things we have talked about at this web address to be helpful. Maybe you’ll do a better job investing for retirement, buying a car, or planning for college. That’s all fine and good. But most important of all, I hope you remember to invest for eternity. Please live for, and serve, Jesus.

Hold the Torch High!

Your friend,

Steve Diggs