When I was a kid, it took me a while to understand what it meant when people said, "Jesus died on the cross for me." I heard that phrase from a very young age and could see that this was important to my family and church. But the fact that Jesus died on the cross for me didn't help me until I knew who Jesus was and why He would die for me.
Maybe you've heard about God and how He loved the world so much that He gave up His Son Jesus to come to the earth. Maybe you've heard about Jesus and been told stories about His life. That Jesus was born in Bethlehem, lived a PERFECT life, performed all kinds of miracles, and died on a cross for our sins. Jesus was a man, but not only was He a man; He was also God.
When we understand who Jesus is, we start to understand the gospel. The word "gospel" simply means "good news." Jesus was good news for the whole world; but why was He good news and why did He have to die on a cross? Well, there was a problem. When God created Adam and Eve, He wanted to have a close relationship with them, but they disobeyed Him. Their disobedience got in the way of a close relationship with God, and ever since then all people have been disobeying God and not living good lives. This is the problem. When people don't obey God the Bible calls it sin, and God hates sin. In fact, all sin must be punished. God decided to do something about our sin problem: He sent Jesus.
Jesus came to make things right. Jesus came to seek and save all of us who were lost and wandering away from God. Jesus came to live a perfect life and then pay the penalty we deserve for not following God. The Bible teaches us that everyone who does not listen to God perfectly deserves to be punished. I make bad choices and so do you. We all deserve to be punished, but Jesus took that punishment for us. He died on the cross in our place.
Can you believe that someone else loved you so much that He would be punished for you? That's exactly what Jesus did! He took the most extreme punishment of all: death. And that's not the end of the story...Jesus came back to life three days later! He is so powerful that not even death could stop Him. He is alive right now and in heaven preparing a place for his children.
Are you one of His children? John 1:12 reminds us that all who receive Jesus and believe in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. That is the gospel! Isn't that good news that we have the right to become children of God when we surrender our lives to Jesus and trust in Him as our Savior?
When I was 5 years old, I trusted in Jesus as my Savior. It is the best decision I have ever made! I am not perfect, but I want to live for Jesus.
If you have never made a choice to make Jesus the master of your life, today is the day. Turn away from your sin and start living for Him. We all deserve to be punished because we don't do exactly what God says, but Jesus already took that punishment for you and me. Give your life to Jesus and you will be changed forever.
If you have decided to give your life to Jesus, that is the best decision you can ever make! Talk to God about how you need Jesus and how you know you have disobeyed Him. Ask Him to be the master of your life and to help you change your ways. Romans 10:9 says, "That if you confess with your mouth that 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved."
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