life is waiting for the one to lose control

I've read that there are people out there ready to accept the truth of the gospel of Christ, if only they could hear it. I hope that someone reading this blog belongs to that group of people.

Every human being, having been created in God's image, has eternity etched on his or her heart. Even the cavemen didn't believe that this life is all that we have. Although we have this basic knowledge, it's difficult to really understand what it means to be eternal. Some people have taken it to mean that we are endlessly reincarnated until we reach some golden standard of spirituality. But only the elite few ever escape. Most people fall far short of the requirements for whatever is the ultimate in eternity.

But Christianity tells of the solution to our predicament. It is in the cross of Jesus Christ. Without it, we are hopelessly lost. But God so loved the world that he sent his only son to die for us. As an illustration of what love and sacrifice this required, imagine if Hollywood's celebrities stepped down from their places of privilege and lived in the slums of a third world country. Or if Steve Jobs took nothing with him and lived in a remote village of Kenya. Even that doesn't come close to Jesus stepping down from a heavenly throne to dwell among us-- to be born to poor parents in a manger and to have no place to lay his head when he grew older.

I used to naively think that it wasn't necessary for Jesus to die on the cross. I thought, "If God is all powerful and all loving, then all he has to do is just forgive us. No one had to die." But God is also a holy God; he can't stand sin. Jesus Christ, by being the spotless sin sacrifice, was the only fool-proof solution. We have only to believe in Christ and have a relationship with him. And when we stand before the judgment seat of God at the end of time, instead of seeing us alone, God will see us cloaked in the righteousness of his son Jesus. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I imagine being shown an accelerated replay of my life when I die, and there are things that I won't want to see-- things that I'm ashamed of... things deserving of punishment. But because of God's grace in the sacrifice of his only son, even sinners can enter into his presence. It takes time and learning to begin to grasp how wonderful it is to be in the presence of God. It's not like all those cliche descriptions you hear of floating around on clouds and eternal bliss. And while there is lasting joy and satisfaction, it is even better than the most appealing picture you've ever seen or heard of. The invitation is free. What will you choose to do with it?

"Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." - John 17:3