Purpose That Satisfies
God creates every person for one ultimate purpose – to live for his glory. As creator and ruler over all, God desires and deserves every person's love, obedience, praise and worship for his greatness and kindness towards us.
(For additional information, please read the following bible passages: Genesis 1:26-27; Psalm 95:3-6; Psalm 148:1-13; 150:2; 1 Corinthians 10:31; Colossians 1:16)
Life’s Biggest ProblemAt this point, you may be asking the following question: if we are all created to live for God's glory, then why do people make choices that disobey him, and hurt other people as well as themselves?
We disobey God and hurt people (including ourselves) because of sin.
What is sin?
Sin is part of our human nature. Every person is born with it. It’s that part of us that does not want to listen to and obey God. It’s that part of us that thinks and acts in ways that reject God and oppose what he says is right and wrong.
Why is sin every person’s biggest problem?
Perhaps, you're saying to yourself: "I'm not perfect but I'm a good person. I treat people with respect and I do good things for others. Why would a loving God punish me for being a decent human being?"
That's a fair and honest question. The Christian faith respectfully answers it by saying our sin prevents us from being good enough to satisfy God's perfect standard. It doesn't matter how many good deeds we do, it will always fall short.
Sin is our biggest problem because it makes all of us guilty and deserving of God’s eternal punishment. God is holy, perfect, and sinless. Therefore, he cannot allow any sin to go unpunished. If he allowed even the "smallest" sin to go unpunished, he would cease to be perfectly righteous, fair, and loving.
So does this mean our sin problem leaves us without any hope of avoiding God’s deserved and eternal punishment?
Well, it depends.
If we try to fix our sin problem on our own, then there is NO hope of us avoiding God's punishment.
But if we are willing to receive God’s ultimate gift, he promises to forgive all our sin, give us his righteousness, and help us follow him so that we can live for his glory.
(For additional information, please read the following bible passages: Psalm 14:2-3; Psalm 51:5; Isaiah 6:3; Mark 7:14-23; Romans 3:23; Romans 6:23; 1 Peter 1:15; 1 John 1:8)
The Gift That Changed EverythingGod knew that we would never be able to satisfy his perfect standard on our own. He loved us so much that he gave us the greatest gift we can ever receive. He gave us his son Jesus who lived a perfect life, died for our sins, and rose again from the dead.
Why are these three things important and necessary?
By living a perfect life, Jesus satisfied God’s perfect standard. His sinless life also made him the perfect sacrifice to satisfy God’s punishment for all sin. When he died on the cross, he paid the penalty for all sin. And when he rose again from the dead, he defeated the power that sin and death has over every person.
To those who trust Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, God gives the ultimate gift which includes:
-
forgiveness of all sin (past, present and future),
-
a personal relationship with the one true God,
-
unlimited help with living for his glory, and
-
spending eternity with him in heaven after our earthly lives end.
(For additional information, please read the following bible passages: John 3:16-18; John 14:1-6; Acts 4:11-12; Romans 5:1-11; Romans 8:1; 1 Corinthians 15:42; Ephesians 2:8-10; 1 Peter 1:3-4)
Do You Want to Receive The Ultimate Gift?If you want to accept the free gift God offers through his son Jesus, all you need to do is tell God something like this:
God, I’m a sinner and I cannot fix my sin problem. Thank you for loving me so much that you sent your son Jesus to save me from your deserved punishment. I believe his death paid the penalty for all my sin. I surrender control of my life to you. Help me follow you and live for your glory.
Receiving life’s ultimate gift is that simple. If you made that decision to accept Jesus into your life as your personal Lord and Savior, you’re now a member of God’s family!
To grow in your new relationship with God, it’s important that you focus on the following areas:
-
Spend time reading the bible, and then applying its truths to your life. The bible is the primary place God teaches us about himself, ourselves, and how he wants us to live.
-
Spend time with God in prayer – praising him, thanking him, admitting when you disobey him, and asking for his help.
-
Become part of a bible-teaching local church community that's committed to loving God and people.
In closing, we want you to know that we are so happy and excited for you! God has a special plan for your life. If you have questions related to your new relationship, please let us know and we'll do our best to help you find resources that answer them.
For His glory,The Heart Inspirations Team