TuesdayReflection
4th July 2023
Did you miss
the teaching from 'Ephesians'?
Paul's Prayer for the Ephesians, is also for our Benefice Church,
that Jesus would give us a spirit of wisdom and revelation as
we come to know Jesus better.
Would You Like to Know God Personally?
.... (Campus Crusade for Christ)
What does it take to begin a relationship with God?
Do you need to devote yourself to unselfish religious deeds?
Must you become a better person so that God will accept you?
You may be surprised that none of those things will work.
But God has made it very clear in the Bible how we can know Him.
God loves you and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
"God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life"
.... John 3:16
Jesus said,
"I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly -"
that is, that life might be full and meaningful.
.... John 10:10
Why is it that most people are not experiencing the
abundant life?
Because ...
All of us sin, and our sin has separated us from God.
We were created to have fellowship with God, but because of our
stubborn self-will, we chose to go our own way, and our fellowship
with God was broken.
This self-will, characterised by an attitude of active rebellion or
passive indifference, is what the Bible calls sin.
Death is spiritual separation from God.
This image illustrates that God is holy and people are sinful.
A great gulf separates us. We are continually trying to reach God
and the abundant life through our own efforts, such as a good life,
philosophy, or religion - but we inevitably fail.
Jesus is God's only provision for our sin.
Through Him we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.
"Jesus said to him,
'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father,
but through Me'" (John 14:6).
God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him
by sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place
to pay the penalty for our sins.
It is not enough just to know these principles ...
We must individually receive Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord;
then we can know and experience God's love and plan for our lives.
"By grace you have been saved through faith;
and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
not as a result of works, that no one should boast"
(Ephesians 2:8-9).
When we receive Jesus, we experience a new birth.
Receiving Jesus involves turning to God from self (repentance) and
trusting Jesus to come into our lives to forgive our sins and to
make us what He wants us to be.
Just to agree intellectually that Jesus is the Son of God and
that He died on the cross for your sins is not enough.
Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience.
You receive Jesus by faith, as an act of the will.
People who are in control (and Jesus has no influence in their life)
have never received Jesus into their lives.
They remain guilty and cut off from God by their sin.
Jesus is in control and we are following Him as Lord.
People like this have received Jesus into their lives.
They have been forgiven and experience God's love.
We can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer.
Prayer is talking to God.
God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as
He is with the attitude of your heart.
The following is a suggested prayer.
If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart,
then you can pray this prayer right now and
Jesus will come into your life, as He promised.
Lord Jesus, I need You.
Thank You for dying on the cross for my sins.
I open the door of my life and receive You
as my Savior and Lord.
Thank You for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life.
Take control of the throne of my life.
Make me the kind of person You want me to be.
Bible references avaiable, on request
About Us
Cru is the name of Campus Crusade for Christ International in the U.S.
Helping students come to know Jesus, grow in their faith and
go to their families, communities and the world to share God's love.