Some of you may be reading this without a belief in Jesus. But I hope that by the time you are done reading this special series, you would see the importance and need for Jesus in each of our lives.
There is a price to pay for our sins and that is death (Romans 3:23). But God so willingly sacrificed His only Son so that we might have eternal life. (John 3:16-17) You see, many blame God for their hurts and pains but they forget that God Himself went through the greatest pain by giving up His only Son for people that would reject Him, curse Him, spit on Him, and deny Him.
Our culture today has bombarded us with lies that a successful person and life is one of fame and fortune but God’s Word says:
“This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have GOOD success.” (Joshua 1:8 – KJV)
I came to the conclusion that bad success is living an “abundant” life here on earth but dying without Christ. This world that we live in will not last forever. As Christians, we realize that this world is not our home, we’re just passing through. Our treasures are laid up in Heaven, where moth and rust don’t corrupt and where thieves cannot break through and steal.
Everyday, there are people searching and looking for their purpose. Why? Because everybody was born with a void and they long to fill that void. But the truth is, ONLY JESUS can fill it.
You were created by the Creator. (Gen. 1:27)
And He knows you, He sees you, and He loves you. There isn’t anything that He would love more than to have you as His child.
You were created for a specific purpose. (Col. 1:16)
You see, we often focus on our purpose in life as something extravagant or extraordinary. And please don’t get me wrong, Jesus is all of that and so much more. But before YOU can have a part in this “extravagant” and “extraordinary”, you must first know who the Giver is.
I have a good family friend who has a child that is truly a miracle. “J” had to have a heart transplant when he was only 15 months and 2 weeks old.
I remember my mother-in-law and I spending a few days with this friend of ours at the UCLA hospital. Seeing her baby boy hooked up to all the monitors, face all puffed up, and a failing heart was such a sobering moment. I wasn’t a mother yet and I couldn’t imagine my own children going through something like that.
But then, it dawned on me that although I didn’t know what it felt like, there was Someone I knew who did. God gave up His only Son, Jesus, for people who didn’t know Him or love Him. He gave Him up willingly and sacrificially.
I believe on our last night staying with this precious mother and her son, we prayed. We got on our knees and we came before the very throne of God. We begged Him for a miracle. I prayed with tears flowing down, something in the lines of:
Dear Jesus, we come before you tonight, begging you for a miracle. We know that nothing is a surprise to you. We pray, believing that You will do something – something miraculous. I am not a mother yet, so I don’t know what this must feel like – to have a child in pain and needing a miracle. But You do. You gave up your only Son for us. Please hear and answer our prayers. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
The next morning, we waited and waited. Eventually, God proved Himself faithful! He provided a donor and the “New Heart” would be on it’s way. I can’t remember how long the surgery lasted and I’m not sure I remember much about the rest of our time there. All I know is that we had a friend who needed to know she had friends who cared and loved for her and her family. Her faith and confidence in the Lord were one thing but sometimes, it is during hard times that we need the presence and support of those whom God has placed in our lives. Both my mother-in-law and I couldn’t express that we knew what she was going through but all we could do was be there.
Now, I look at this boy who is getting ready to finish 1st Grade and it is hard to comprehend that he was a little baby boy whose life was hanging by a thread. His miracle wasn’t by chance or by luck but by divine appointment. It was part of God’s plan, all along.
Your life has a blueprint and the Architect or Engineer of that blueprint is none other than God. He created you and He is capable and able to save you from a horrible eternity spent in hell. So, just as this dear mother entrusted the blueprint of her son’s life in the Father’s hand, you too can do the same, beginning today.
How can you MAKE TODAY MATTER? Why not start by getting a “new heart.”
“Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17 – KJV)
“Making Today Matter” is a process and it’s a daily decision to choose wisely.
If you have already received a “new heart” and done the first step in Making Today Matter through Jesus, then you have already made the most important decision that you will ever make. If you haven’t, it is very simple. Pray and ask Jesus to save you from your sins and from hell. You don’t need to tell him every sin you’ve committed – He already knows. He just wants you to simply ask Him. Asking Him to be your Saviour is merely admitting that there is nothing in and of yourself that can make you righteous or get you to Heaven. It is accepting the sacrifice He made on the cross for you.
You see, when “J” got the new heart, it was an exciting time but it was also a sad time for another family. While one family lost their loved one, another family regained hope to keep their loved one. In the same manner, God made a way for us to go to Heaven but Jesus had to die for it. God the Father willingly gave up His only Son because of His love for us all.
When Jesus was nailed to the cross, He bore the sins of the whole world, which probably explains why Jesus says, “My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” Because sin cannot be in the presence of God Almighty. It was a sad event because God the Father had to turn His back on His only Son but the story doesn’t end there. Jesus died, was buried, but rose on the third day and His resurrection is what makes Him different from all other “gods.” His resurrection gives us hope! Had he stayed dead, we wouldn’t be able to have “new hearts.” So praise be to Him for His unspeakable gift!
***Featured Image on Unsplash.com
Making Today Matter 