We All Need God’s Grace

I recently had coffee with a friend of my daughter’s named Chloe. She asked me one of the questions people often wonder about, “Where do we go when I die?”
 
She hoped it was Heaven, but she wasn’t sure. She had made some difficult choices and really wanted to know if someone with a background like hers could go to Heaven and what God would think.
 
We talked about salvation and how it’s not a decision of how good you are, whether you go to church, or how much money you give to charity. It not because you belong or don’t belong to a specific denomination either. I shared that it didn’t matter who she was as a person, whether she was good or bad, where she was from, rich or poor. It doesn’t matter what she’d done, who she’d done it with, where, or how long she did it. She could be forgiven and saved from a life without God.
 
There is something she needed to know, and I want to share with you too, something important that you must know…
 

Ask Jesus Into Your Heart Today

If you are living your life without knowing Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are missing the guarantee of going to Heaven. I lived for some time thinking I was a good person, but not knowing for sure if I was going to Heaven.
 
God loves you so much. He allowed you to find this article to introduce Himself to you and offer you a new life full of love, peace, and purpose as well as eternal life.
 
But back to my story…
 

All of Us Have Messed Up

I shared my past and the fact that no one is perfect. We have all made mistakes. I know I sure did! All of us need God’s grace in our crazy world.
 
The Bible tells us, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Yes, we ALL have messed up and aren’t perfect, including me. I continued to share with Chloe as she leaned forward, listening intently and now putting her cell phone down.
 
The good news is that when you trust in Jesus, everything is completely forgiven from your past. Jesus loves you just as you are today, and His greatest desire is for you to open your heart and let Him in to change you for the better.
 
She asked more questions about how God could love her and forgive what she had done. Her father had left her when she was little, and she found it hard to trust. I told her that God is different than men on earth. He loves His children unconditionally.
 
I explained that without God and God’s forgiveness, we are lost. But God made a plan, and a great true plan it is, if we accept that Jesus is the son of God and came down from Heaven, died, and rose again to save us, we will go to Heaven and spend eternity with God.
 
She listened more and asked, “So God says the only way to be with Him is through accepting Jesus into our lives?”
 
“Yes,” I answered. “But each of us must make this decision. Each one of us can choose to decide where to place our hope and trust and where we will spend eternity. God loves us so much He gave us this choice.”
 

Becoming a Child of God

I continued explaining that we are condemned to death without God because we are not perfect and have all sinned. But the good part is in the Bible, it says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23) Without this, we would have eternal separation from God. That can be very scary, and it was to Chloe as she listened more.
 
I shared that a follower of Jesus named John also wrote, “But to all who believed Him (Jesus) and accepted Him, he gave the right to become children of God.”
 
We talked about how simple it is to accept Jesus and to know you will spend eternity in Heaven with Him. All you need to do is to trust in Jesus to save you. It’s that simple. She started to cry.
 
I reassured her and continued, “God wants you and others to spend eternity with Him in Heaven. He wants you to be happy and to live a productive and full life on earth and an even more rewarding eternal life in Heaven.”
 
This option for your eternal life is available to you right now too.
 
John also wrote what Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
 
I asked her, “Do you want to have this peace about your future and peace in your life now?” She nodded quietly. I went on, “Are you ready to open your heart to Jesus today?” Again Chloe nodded.
 
“If you declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God sent Jesus so you will be saved here on earth. Then by believing this in your heart, you are made right with God, and you are saved. God accepts you and won’t leave you ever.”
 
Through tears, Chloe asked how she could be sure. I explained that Jesus will enter her heart today, right now, if she asks Him to.
 
The simple steps are to:

• Admit that you are a sinner and need God’s help
• Accept that Jesus Christ is the son of God
• Believe that He died on the cross for your sins and rose again
• Ask Jesus into your heart today

I prompted her that if she was ready, to pray this simple prayer:
 
Dear Jesus,
I know I’m a sinner, and I need Your forgiveness today. I believe that You are the Son of God. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead three days later to give me new life and a future with you in Heaven.
 
I believe that You are the only way to God. I want to give you my whole life.
 
Forgive me now and help me turn my life around.
 
I want to know You better. I want to be a better person and a reflection of you. Show me your love, peace, and forgiveness.
 
In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.
 
I hugged her and welcomed her to the family of God!
 
Did you decide to read that prayer too?
 
If so, like Chloe, I recommend that you read God’s Word in the Bible daily! Become a part of a solid Bible-believing church where you can spend time with other Christians and learn more. This really helps!
 
If this has helped you, I would love to hear from you too. You can send me an email here.
 
God bless you,