Hello. I am Scott Duck. If I may, I would like to take a moment to talk with you about the most important thing in my life.
In my novel “In Full View”, the character of Jake is blind and, as a result, he faces some rather unique challenges. I know how he feels. I too am blind. Jake was created, in part, out of my own personal experiences. I have faced many of the challenges that Jake faced in the book, and many more. In life, we all face challenges. Everyone has something that makes their life harder than the next person’s. For me that something is being blind. For you, I don’t know what it is but there is something. Sometimes, as we struggle to face life’s challenges, we also struggle to hold on to hope or we lose hope all together. For many people, what hope they do have is tied to the things of this world, things that will not last. But, you know what? You can obtain a hope that is eternal. Not just a hope but an assurance. I have that assurance, in Jesus Christ, who is my Lord and Savior. Do you have that assurance? I’m not talking about being a good person or going to church. Is Jesus Christ your Lord and Savior? If He is not or if you really don’t know, please read on.
I am going to talk about some scripture here. The full text of the scripture follows or, of course, you can look it up in your own bible, if you have one handy.
How are we saved? Can we be good enough? Romans 3:10 says that no one is righteous and Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So no, we cannot be good enough because we all sin.
What do we deserve because of that sin? Read Romans 6:23. The first part says “the wages of sin is death”. What are “wages”? They are what we get for doing something, like getting paid for doing a job. So, what we should get for our sin is death. In this case, what does “death” mean? Does it mean God should Kill us? No, of course not. It means eternal spiritual separation from God. After physical death, it also means going to Hell. So, for our sin, we deserve to be eternally separated from God and forever burn in Hell.
So, that’s it? No! What does the next part of Romans 6:23 say? It says “but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord”. How did Jesus pay for this gift of eternal life? 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that Christ never sinned but he took our sins on himself and Romans 5:8 says that He died as punishment for those sins. So, the son of God paid for the most precious gift that we could ever receive with his own blood.
How do we get this gift? Read John 3:16.
For God so loved the world
that he gave his only begotten Son (Jesus)
that whoever believes in him (whoever means everyone)
should not perish, but have everlasting life (not die spiritually and be separated from God)
To get this gift from Jesus, you have to ask him to save you. Romans 10:13 says that “whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved”.
You have to pray and ask Jesus to save you and that goes something like this: Jesus, I know that I am a sinner and that I deserve to be separated from God for eternity. I know that I don’t deserve forgiveness but you died to save me from my sins. I want you to come into my heart and save me and I give my life to you.
When we are saved, we have to repent, which means to turn from our sins (Acts 3:19). Even Christians still sin but we have to try hard not to and always try to do better.
We should be baptized after we are saved (Matthew 28:19). Baptism symbolizes his death, burial, and resurrection. This tells the world what we have done.
Did you pray the prayer above or something similar? If you did and you were sincere then your name is now written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. If you have never prayed that prayer, if you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, then I urge you to give this your full attention. Nothing is more important. In John 14:6, Jesus said “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father, except by me”. Do you know him?
The following scripture is from the New King James Bible, Copyright Thomas Nelson 1982.
Romans 3:10
As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one;
Romans 3:23
for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Romans 6:23
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Romans 5:8
But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
Romans 10:13
For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
Acts 3:19
Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord,
Matthew 28:19
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.