The Journey BeginsSample

A man is drowning under the weight of a sunken ship. In order for him to be freed, a lifeguard dives in for him. At the bottom he realises there is only enough oxygen in the cylinder for one of them to get back to the surface. The lifeguard didn’t deserve to die but it was his job to rescue. He freed the man, gave him his oxygen, and a new life, at the expense of his own life. Every human being since Adam and Eve have been born with the natural tendency, consciously or unconsciously, to live life without letting God in. This rejection of God, the Bible calls sin. Sin stops us from living as we were designed to live, free of guilt, in relationship with God and with a healthy reflection of ourselves and our future. God devised a rescue mission for mankind who was drowning under the weight of its sin. He sent Jesus, His Son. It is through Jesus Christ that we can now have an unbroken relationship with our Father in heaven. Without Jesus we would not be able to have a relationship with God. He made the way for us to connect to our Father in heaven again. None of this can be achieved by our own effort or good works. The reason that Jesus was an acceptable sacrifice for our sins is because He never sinned. He was tempted in every area just like we are yet he never gave into temptation. So now we can come to God with confidence and without the shame of sin on us. We may feel like withdrawing from God when we sin but we don’t have to. You don’t need to change to come to Jesus – He is the change we need. In Him we receive forgiveness. His identity before God becomes our identity. Not only does Jesus death and resurrection obtain peace with God for us, but it also assures us of eternal life. When we die we need not be afraid of what will happen because we know we have a guarantee to spend eternity with God in heaven! When we decide to follow Christ, the things we have done that separate us from God (our sin) are totally removed. Through Jesus, we obtain freedom from guilt and shame and peace in our minds and hearts. We can find healing from our sicknesses, power to overcome our weaknesses and more, all as part of the incredible free gift we receive at the moment of salvation.