Jesus is Worth It

 You CANNOT have eternal life in Heaven by being a "good person". We are all sinful, wicked, and worthy of the fires of hell. It doesn't matter how nice you are, how wealthy you are, how many charities, volunteer work, or benevolent causes you participate in. It doesn't matter how tolerant you are or how loving you are. It doesn't matter how many times you "pay it forward". It doesn't matter if you go to church or even read the Bible. It doesn't matter if you go to a fancy seminary or drop out of high school. It doesn't matter.

So what does matter, how can you be saved? A true honest relationship with Jesus Christ. Repenting of your sins, removing idols and false gods from your life, believing in the One Who Saves, and following Him no matter the cost. Eternal life can only come through Jesus. There is no once saved always saved, I said the sinner's prayer, now I can live and "love" how I want to, as long as I am a good person and don't hurt anyone - I'm good. Jesus loves me. NO!

We cannot claim to be followers of Christ and still worship false gods (they come in MANY forms). We cannot follow Christ and still be prideful, vain, self-seeking. We cannot follow Christ and yet have more trust and hope in man, government, medical systems, celebrities, preachers, or even self. We cannot follow Christ and still be involved and enjoy witchcraft, magic (all forms), and the occult (and every form thereof!). We cannot follow Christ and enjoy being entertained by filthy trash media (pretty much all of Hollywood).

My word is a hard one and one that many people aren't willing to swallow. It stirs to anger and says how dare you judge me! But I'm not judging you friends. I'm not. I'm warning you. Why, because I love you. And as a servant of Christ, I cannot sit idly by and watch people run towards destruction. Scripture makes it clear that you cannot serve two masters (or more). You cannot be both hot and cold - that makes you lukewarm. There is no sitting on the fence. I used to be there friends! I used to be....until Jesus set me truly free.

You cannot place all your hope on doing good things. Good works without faith is dead and faith without good works is dead. You cannot have just one or the other. You cannot serve the Lord God, The I AM and still have idols. But you CAN come to Him humbled on your knees. You CAN ask for forgiveness and deliverance. You CAN be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. You CAN ask Jesus to cleanse you and cover you with His blood. You CAN welcome His Holy Spirit into your heart and your life. You CAN do everything that you are physically able to do to remove those stumbling blocks of sin from your life.

You CAN be obedient to Him and get into His Word. You CAN pick up your cross and follow Jesus down that narrow road. You CAN trust and hope in His promises. We can never do enough "works" to earn our salvation. We can never be perfect enough or even holy enough (by our own merit). God requires us to be holy because HE IS HOLY, which is why He looks at the heart.

He knows that as long as we are in this fleshly body, we are prone to sin. Which is why Jesus had to die on the cross - so that our SOULS would be redeemed. So that our bodies would become resurrected, like new. His blood covers a multitude of sins. How deep and how wide is the Father's love for us!

So this is my call to you. Have you back-slidden in your faith? Repent and turn to Jesus. Have you never cared much for the Bible, never prayed much (except when in trouble), and never really considered the One called Jesus? Repent and turn to Him. Have you been raised in the church and been a Christian your whole life, but have struggled with ongoing sin, but have justified it? Repent and turn to Jesus. Are you a follower of Jesus Christ, a humbled servant, walking a daily walk of faith with our Messiah, a willing heart who seeks the Lord's face? Ask Him to reveal any hidden sin and idols in your life, repent, and keep trusting in Him.

I'm not perfect. I struggle. Not one day goes by that I don't fail the Lord in my weakness. But I praise Him that He is willing to forgive me and that He disciplines those He loves. By refining us, we are made in His image - like precious gold or silver.

It doesn't matter if there are storms or sunshine, chaos or tranquility, war or peace, wealth or poverty, sickness or health, famine or plenty.....our thoughts and our hearts should be focused on following Christ Jesus. We should be dwelling on His Word and seeking His face every day.

We should be evaluating ourselves: are we being obedient to Him? Are we hearing His voice when He speaks? Are we recognizing truth when we see it? Are we aware of Satan's many cunning deceptions and attacks, making sure that we are covered by the armor of God and using prayer and faith in the Lord to fight these spiritual battles?

We are not guaranteed today nor tomorrow. Make your focus and life about Christ. Turn and follow Him. Yes, you will lose friends and family. Yes, you will become unpopular and disliked, even hated. Yes, things are going to get rough (not easier). Yes, you may even lose your life because of the Name and Testimony of Jesus. But you know what friend? It's worth it.

I'll say it again: It. Is. Worth. It.

Jesus is worth it. He says many will follow the broad path to destruction, and few will enter the narrow gate into the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those whose reward is the Lord, who yearn to be in His presence, whose hearts desire to worship Him for all eternity will enter that narrow gate. And great will be our reward! No eye has seen, no ear has heard the great things that the Lord has prepared for us!

Turn to Jesus. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord. Follow Him. Stand firm upon His promises. He will never leave nor forsake those whose hearts belong to Him. May all of His followers have patient endurance until the end. I want everyone who sees this to know that they are loved by the King and that He wants you to come to Him. Follow Him. May you all know the peace, joy, comfort, hope, and forgiveness of Jesus Christ. He is coming soon.

Matthew 6:24; Galatians 5:19-21; Acts 2:38; Psalms 66:10; Daniel 12:10; Proverbs 3:12; Leviticus 19:2; Ephesians 6:10-20; Romans 6:1-3; Ephesians 3:17-19; I Corinthians 2:9; Revelations 3:15-22; Revelations 22:12; Revelations 3:11; John 3:16-17; Romans 3:23-24; Revelations 20:15