|
"Okay, if I accept this gift, what happens then?" When you say "Yes!" to Jesus' invitation to save you, you are truly saved. It's done. But His work in you is just beginning. When you are genuinely trusting in Jesus, a number of things are happening. For one, you recognize that you are sinful--that is, you've failed, perhaps miserably, to hit that 100% perfection mark--and need God's forgiveness. Trusting in Jesus means you are trusting in Him to forgive your sin. It also means you are turning away from your old life, your sin, and turning toward God, and relying on Him to do the work in you. You are, in a sense, changing your mind, recognizing that your way ultimately leads to death, and God's way leads to life. This is called "repentance." You've probably heard that "repentance" means to simply "stop sinning." Well...not exactly. Don't get me wrong--yes we DO want to get rid of the sin in our lives. But trying to do that through sheer grit and determination is a losing battle. Chances are, you know exactly what I'm talking about. So really, it can only truly be done through the life-changing work that Jesus does in us. Repentance, in the original Greek, actually means "to change your mind." The idea is that you change your mind, your focus, your outlook. You get your mind OFF of yourself and ON to Jesus. And so HE does the change in your life. True repentance, then, results in the weeding out of sin; it makes you LOSE your appetite for sin, and GAIN an appetite for the things that please and honor God. So--and this is important--don't get hung up on the idea that it's all about pulling yourself up by your own bootstraps, and trying your best to do a better job at being a better person. And by all means, DON'T fall into the trap of thinking that you gotta "fix" yourself before you approach Jesus. Jesus is the one who does the fixing. True repentance means you STOP trying to do it on your own, and START letting Jesus do the work in you...and trusting that He will do it. That is very good news! Believe in this gift! It really is for you. Believe that He died on the cross for you, and that he rose from the dead to defeat death and give you eternal life! Respond to his invitation, and invite him into your life. It's not complicated, there's no magic formula or ritual you have to undergo, or card you have to fill out. Just ask Jesus straight from your heart. Use your own words. Many people like to pray something like this:
|