Last Monday I shared with you about a dear friend of mine, 66 years old, who had lost her battle with cancer…but had gained her much deserved eternal reward. Little did I know that several hours later, after I wrote those words, we would receive the shocking news that another friend of ours, Jill, only 61 years old, suddenly had a massive heart attack and was in the presence of Jesus. This dear woman had no prior heart problems or conditions that would have given any indication that there was a problem.
Thursday afternoon, I stood with Jill’s husband beside her casket and his words amazed me. He said, “LuAnn, I’ve always wondered how I would react if something like this happened. Would it shake my faith? How would I feel? I can say today that this has not shaken my faith one bit. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is in heaven with the Lord, and I’m so thankful that I have that assurance. My faith will not waiver.”
That my friends, is what having faith in your heavenly Father is all about. Is there sorrow? Of course there is. Will he, his family and friends miss her terribly? Of course they will. But, when tragedy strikes and things happen that make absolutely no sense, we know that we have a Rock to lean on…a Rock to trust…a Rock that will never let us down.
Tears are falling as I write these words today, because I am SO thankful that a babe was born in Bethlehem, taking on human flesh so He could understand what I experience, was crucified on a cross for me and then rose again so that I can spend eternity with Him. All of that just blows me away…that my Jesus loves me that much.
And do you know what? Jesus did all of those things for YOU too. He endured more pain and suffering than we can even imagine…and He did it for YOU. What is even more incredible is that He did all of that knowing that you and I might reject Him. He knew that we might think we can handle things on our own…that we don’t need a Savior…or that He would never want us because of our past. He knew that we might think that we aren’t good enough…that we have to get our bad habits whipped first…that we somehow have to clean up our past before He would want a relationship with us. Jesus knew all of that…but still loved us more than we can imagine.
Yes, He still loves you, even with your bad habits and past issues. Jesus loves you today with a full understanding of your struggles because He’s been there. You don’t have to clean up your act before you accept Him as your Lord and Savior. All you have to do is ask Him to forgive you, cleanse you and then He will walk with you every step of the way until you meet Him face to face in heaven for all eternity.
If you are reading this and you haven’t asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior, I want to urge you to do so today. Jesus is the reason I get up every morning, pen every devotional and urgently pray for those such as you who need to know that there is hope! Accepting Him is not difficult; you can come to Him just as you are right now…today. All you have to do is say a prayer such as this:
“Dear Jesus, I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, were resurrected and that you are alive and well today. I believe that you are the Son of God and that you deeply love me. I confess that I am a sinner and I need you to forgive me and cleanse me from my sins. I accept you as my Savior and want you to create a new and clean heart in me. I now want to live every day for you and I know that I will have eternal life with you because of what you did on Calvary’s cross for me. Thank you Jesus. Amen.”
If you have prayed this prayer, I would love to know so that I can be praying for you as you begin your walk with our Jesus. I’m confident that my friend Jill, had no idea that she would be taken from this earth at just 61 years old, but I’m so thankful that she was ready to meet her Jesus. You and I are not promised tomorrow, so it is so important that we make sure we have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior today. God loves you and so do I and I so want to spend eternity in heaven with you!
“For this is how God loved the world:
He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
John 3:16
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