Copyright free painting from David Bowmen- Thank You, David! I appreciate your deep insight into our Lord and Savior with one of His children. Thank you!
Do you see the glow in the face of both the little boy and in the face of his Savior and Lord? They are so happy!!! Looking ahead, looking toward the future, a sight for sore eyes, the each of them. Jesus has his arm around the boy's sweet back- this boy is one of the Lord God's creation, made in His own image! So thrilling it all is!
Just think how it will be for you and me when we behold Christ's gorgeous face and loveliness as we are together with Him, for always! There is none other, no greater Joy for which we can hope and look forward to, one day. We know and have His Promise of being in Heaven when we have taken Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
How very incomparable and beautiful it will be one day, when the ties of this Earth have released us to be forever in Heaven with our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus! Such glory, honor, praise, and Joy forever and evermore. It is almost too much to imagine. But, it WILL happen one day, there is not doubt, whatsoever.
Almighty God promises us this gift in glory with our Savior forever and ever.
~~~The Most Important Question You Will Ever Be Asked~~~
Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?
If so, what factors caused you to look to Him as God, to depend upon Him for your afterlife, i.e., going to Heaven, when you pass on? Do you walk with Him each day?
Our Christian faith states, breathes, and beckons us that the One God is Triune in Person and Spirit: the Father, the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Being the son or daughter of Jesus, the Lord God, most clearly includes reading and studying the Word of God, the Holy Bible; if at all possible finding and attending a Jesus Christ believing church and being active there- in the community, and around the world with support to missions; helping and loving your neighbor as yourself; and there are other ways to worship and be oh-so-close to the Son of God- for example, that all-empowering communication called Prayer! In my estimation, that aspect is essential- talking with Almighty God!
God in His All-powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere at the same time- I AM that I AM wants to speak with you! With me! Almost unbelievable, but absolutely true. The King of the universe WANTS a relationship with each of us.
The title of this posting is: Who or What is Keeping YOU from Jesus? If you are not being kept away and have the personal relationship with Christ, Praise God! You might want to continue reading for continued encouragement and helpful ideas about how to help bring your loved ones and other folks into the fold.
The Bible tells us that it is the Holy Spirit of God that draws us to a relationship with Jesus Christ. The One Almighty LORD God, Who is Triune in Persons: is the Father; Jesus, the Son; and the Holy Spirit of God. Jesus came to the Earth as a baby born of the Spirit of God coming over Mary, Jesus' earthly mother, to one day walk among people, according to His Father's will. Jesus was fulfilling God's promise to Israel and all of humanity. Jesus' ministry to bring the Good News, the Gospel, was to tell mankind of God's great love above all and for each and all. Jesus would die on the cross, the Perfect Lamb of God, Who was and is the only One who could expiate the Father's wrath that humanity, each of us, had sinned again and again against the LORD God.
~~~Two Anecdotes of Pain~~~
Recently I had a lesion removed from my tongue. The oral surgeon used Novocaine, but it did not seem nearly adequate to ward off the pain. Without being frightening, I just want to say that this procedure, the complete excision/removal of the cyst, mild dysplasia/pre-cancer, was one of the most horrible experiences I have had... and I am 69 years old, and I have given birth to two children, and suffered excruciating migraines, to say that I have experienced some extreme pain in life . This oral surgery was not even close to the suffering our Lord Jesus endured FOR US, so that all of the sin ever done or would be, was heaped upon Him to pay the price to God for OUR sins.
Then, when our children were in high school and college, I had a terrible car accident 18 years ago with 2+ years of surgeries and rehabs. I still suffer the effects of that day when I lost control of our car. The car accident and healing was long-lasting and awful. However, one of my closest Christian friends asked me later if I would give up the closeness that it brought me to the Lord; it was like night and day- my Christian faith and walk with Jesus before and then after this car wreck. "No!" I told my friend at her inquiry about giving up my so much closer walk with God versus being spared the intense pain and difficulties of the accident. I called on Jesus as I lay there pinned in the car, and my husband Royce--- who was in another car ahead of me on the road and saw everything of the wreck in his rear view mirror--- watched on and talked with me while it would take some time for the Volunteer Firemen of Osage City to extricate me from the crushed car and put me on a Life Flight helicopter to St. Joseph's trauma unit in KCMO. During all of this, I remember calling on Jesus immediately in my mind while I visually could see nothing as I lay there in the car, and- then I barely heard my husband Royce's voice and the volunteer chief firefighter talking to me. God moved so incredibly throughout this whole time, and He took me from being a fairly regular, maybe lukewarm? Christian woman to a full-bore, totally in love with Christ Jesus prayer warrior and Good News servant and apostle! Albeit, the anguish to my family: Royce, and our two young, grown children was incalculable. I wish they could have been spared. Yes, I know they grew in their faith, too, but you would have to ask them...
This sacrifice of Jesus Christ the Son of God allowed each of us the Gift to accept Jesus' sacrifice, to believe in Him, and only Him, so that we could walk with Him and then one day when we pass away, we will go to Heaven to live forever--- with God and all of the other folks who have chosen Jesus as their Savior! Hopefully, we will have ALL of our family, friends, and important people in our lives there with us, PLUS innumerable new FRIENDS, folks of the faith from the Bible, and so on...
The opposite of not accepting Christ Jesus is that when one day anyone who rejected Christ as his/her Lord and Savior will go to Hell to be separated from God forever. It is almost too horrifying to contemplate, but we must. Darkness, demons, perhaps no one whatsoever, ALONE and away from God and everyone we love. I have tears in my eyes as I think of this fate...and such a totally unnecessary one!
The Bible is a tribute to one of the following facts: God is struck to the core when one of those He made from His own image does not choose to go to Heaven to be forevermore with Him; Jesus is crushed beyond even what we could feel for our own daughter or son, or husband, sister... Some folks have said that WE choose where we go in the afterlife- we choose Heaven or Hell, and I believe this with every shred and fiber of my being as I have grown in my maturity in the faith. Nonetheless, again I am crying thinking especially about the two people in my Life who are uncertain in their choice. There are others for whom I am weak with concern and love in not knowing because THEY do not know or have not made the certain choice yet of "YES, I CHOOSE YOU, JESUS CHRIST, as MY LORD AND SAVIOR!" Why be uncertain about the most IMPORTANT DECISION that you will ever make! What is there to wonder? I ask you!!! Come to Jesus right now! Tell Him in your own words that you believe in Him as your Lord and Savior, and you accept Him. There is a Salvation Prayer below that you can read and say to Jesus. Do not wait one more moment or one more time! Jesus wants YOU, my friend. He made you from His own image; He gave you a soul and a spirit, a free will. None of His other creatures, the animals have a soul or free will. God loves you this much to make up your own mind about His Son Christ.
Sometimes, there are loved ones, even people whom we did not really know or who are a stranger across the world, whom we do not know how they chose or did not choose Life With Christ before death. In those cases, we must rely on the Truth of God and give our concerns, as deep as they might be, back to Him. This, another vital reason to pray for salvation and the right choice for individuals we love or even hate while they are alive on Earth (Jesus said to love and pray for our enemies: Matthew 5:43-48) Jesus said, Love Your Enemies and Pray for Those Who Persecute You. You can tell, write about and speak with people we know at work, in our families, in our neighborhoods, to study the Word, to spread the Good News, the Gospel of Christ, the "Greatest Story Ever Told!"
I have shared my personal story of returning and truly accepting Jesus as my Savior and the Lord of my Life. It is not too late to accept now. Do not hesitate, nor wait, Dear Friends!
Please click this link to read my posting in the blog regarding how I was drawn to Jesus as my Lord and Savior and when I accepted Him- of this, I am absolutely sure! Praise my LORD!
May I be of help? If you have a question, I will try to find the answer. If you want me to pray for you or someone else, you can contact me at donnaandroyce@gmail.com
Be sure to contact your pastor or a very trusted Christian friend- do not forget those close around yourself.
A Prayer for Salvation in Jesus Christ
Dearest Father in Heaven,
I know I have sinned and fallen short of Your glory. I also do know that you forgive me completely because You have promised me this through the cross that Your Son Jesus bore where He died, was buried, then rose from the grave. He walked among women and men and then he rose to Heaven to sit at Your right hand, Father. He left so that the Holy Spirit of God would come to Earth to live and to draw each one of us to believe in Jesus. I accept you, my Beautiful Jesus! You are my Savior and my Lord! Thank You, thank You, God!
In Jesus' Name,
Amen!
Relevant Verses
Luke 2:11
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
1 Timothy 1:15
It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
Acts 13:23
From the descendants of this man, according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus,
Titus 2:13
looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
Matthew 1:21
She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
Acts 4:12
And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”
Ephesians 5:23
For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
Philippians 3:20
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ;
2 Timothy 1:10
but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,
1 Timothy 4:10
For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of believers.
John 4:42
and they were saying to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world.”
1 John 4:14
We have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.
Source: https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Jesus-Christ,-Savior
John 1:12 ESV (English Standard Version)
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
God bless you,
Donna M.
