"And he said: I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven." Jesus Matthew 18:3-4
The Gospel (good news) of Christ is so simple. God sent His son Jesus to die for us so that we could be forgiven for all the bad things we do (sin) and live in relationship with Him.
If it's hard to believe that you sin, just listen to yourself sometime. Listen to yourself in traffic, in an argument with an ex-spouse, when you've been unfairly accused or passed over for a well-deserved promotion. I struggled with the word "sin" even when I was starting to believe and follow Jesus, and when I really started listening to myself, I changed my mind. I was a sinner and still am.
I struggled with the belief that there could only be ONE WAY to a relationship with God, but when I started to think about it, one way was the only thing that made sense to me. Why would a loving God confuse us with a menu of paths or other Gods? I don't have a menu of parents or kids to pick from - I just have one set and they're the set He decided would be best for me. I agree and love them. Why would a loving God pick one way for one person and another for someone else? I can believe in a God who made a simple way for everyone.
Believe with your heart and speak it with your mouth - I believe. Everyone has a heart, everyone has a mouth and everyone has a brain to help make right and wrong decisions. Even the poorest child on the banks of a sweltering African riverbank is equipped with those things, and if you're worried about her.....she already believes because she's not messed up by the abundance of misinformation. She already knows that Jesus loves her, she'll live a life of worship and when it's her time to pass away, will be with her Dad in heaven. Will you still be arguing about the "one way"?
Here's something my son wrote when he was 5 - I found it when I was cleaning out old boxes and I'll never throw it away: The translation is below the picture:)
"My God He is up in heaven. The best in the world. Jesus is with God. I love God. I love Jesus in God. He is dad in heaven. He has a dog."
The little picture in the middle is of him and Jesus on a cloud in heaven. He gets it.
Tomorrow followers of Jesus around the world will celebrate the beauty and mystery of the resurrection of the One who saved us. He chose to go to the cross. He chose to die like a criminal even though He did nothing wrong. He did this because He loves us, but the best part is that He didn't just die. Three days later He rose from the dead and sits at God's right hand in heaven. He's ALIVE and that's why we celebrate.
I love it! I love it!
Posted by: Lisa Arnold | 04/03/2010 at 08:06 AM
I always knew God would have a dog!
Posted by: Anna | 04/03/2010 at 09:17 AM