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I remember
coming into my wife’s room and having the doctor
tell us that she had leukemia. I felt like I
had just been run over by a truck. What do you do?
Where do you turn? How do you survive? Most of us
have had or are having times like that. We all hurt
in the struggle with life and need comfort and
peace. My wife and I were facing death, which can be
a scary thing. I would love to tell you where
my peace comes from and where my meaning for life
comes from. Let me share with you.
Larry
Johnson |
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The Bible
makes it clear that all of us are sinners. Even the
best of us have said, thought, or done something
wrong! We all have sinned and are spiritually dead. |
Romans 3:10-11, 23
10As it is
written: "There is no one righteous, not even one;
11there is no
one who understands, no one who seeks God.
23For all have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God. |
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Like breaking the laws of our
country, there is a penalty for sin too! God is a
just God and requires someone to pay the penalty for
our sin. |
Romans 6:23
23For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God
is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord. |
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Even though we deserve death God
has given us the gift of eternal life through Jesus
Christ. Through Him, we can receive what we
haven't earned-- eternal life. What we have earned-- death, Jesus Christ took on himself so we
wouldn’t have to. |
Romans 5:8-9
8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:
While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
9Since we have now been justified by his blood, how
much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through
him! |
Romans 8:1
1Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those
who are in Christ Jesus |
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You may ask ‘How do I get this
gift from God?’ You receive it by putting your faith in
Jesus Christ, believing He is God and that He died
and rose again for your sins. Your life changes as
you live for Christ. |
Romans 10:9-10, 13
9That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is
Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him
from the dead, you will be saved.
10For it is with
your heart that you believe and are justified, and
it is with your mouth that you confess and are
saved. 13for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the
Lord will be saved." |
Romans 12:1-2
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's
mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,
holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual
act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the
pattern of this world, but be transformed by the
renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test
and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing
and perfect will. |
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These next verses are the promise
I have when I believe in Christ and have Him as my
savior. I know I have eternal life. |
1 John 5:11-13
11And this is the testimony: God has given us
eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
12He who
has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son
of God does not have life. 13I write these things to
you who believe in the name of the Son of God so
that you may know that you have eternal life. |
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What if I sin after I become a
Christian? God’s grace is still there. The next
verses tell us that God forgives because of what
Christ did for us on the cross. |
1 John 1:9
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and
will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. |
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It seems incredible that the God
of the universe, of everything we know and don’t know,
loved us so much that he sent His Son to us. This
Son, Jesus Christ, died and took the punishment for
your and my sin on the cross so we could have
eternal life if we believe in Him. Our response to
that great love needs to be living our lives for
Him.
God has given me hope and a meaning for life,
through the experience of my wife's death. Without Him I couldn’t have survived. |
If you have any questions about what you just
read,
email us and we would be happy to talk to you
about it. |
