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What Do You Have to Lose

 In 2020, we all began experiencing unprecedented change and loss. Since then, our friends and family have walked through multiple losses. Some were so gut-wrenching that it seemed impossible to carry on without the loved one. Others were a long time coming and resulted in a reluctant, collective sigh because we know that our loved one is no longer suffering. They are free from pain and heartache with our Lord in Heaven. Still, we have to go on without them.

Grief and loss were never part of the plan. God created a perfect, beautiful world and longed for us to be in constant closeness with Him and each other. Enter Satan. The accuser of the brethren. The enemy of God. The destroyer of souls. See, this fallen angel, Lucifer, had a notion that he could be like God. When that plan didn't work, God cast him out of Heaven along with his followers. Ever since then, Satan has been working tirelessly to thwart God's plan for creation. It all started with a bite. When Adam and Eve chosen to listen to the lie that they could be God-like, everything changed. No longer would man enjoy eternal life. No longer would God walk alongside man as a friend. For thousands of years, this was the human condition. Then Christ came.

Jesus, God's son, came to us because we would never be good enough to come before God. Through Christ, the plot of Satan crumbled as He made a way for us to boldly enter God's presence. Even better, eternal life is possible through belief in Jesus. This seems so simple-because it is. God wants a relationship with me and you. He longs for us to come to Him with our worries and remind us that the heartbreaks that are the result of living in a fallen world are temporary in light of eternity with Him in Heaven.

Perhaps you are on the fence about belief in Christ. My question is simple: What do you have to lose by believing?

Today is the day for salvation. If you long to see your loved one again in Heaven, that hope is real and can be present in your life when you say yes to Jesus. The prayer is easy:

Dear God, I recognize that I am a sinner. I believe that you sent your Son to redeem me and die for my sins, and I believe that He rose from the dead so that I can spend eternity in Heaven. God, save me from my sins. Wash me clean. Help me to recognize that you are the giver of hope. Help me to love for you all the days of my life until I see you face to face. Thank you for the gift of salvation. Amen.

My friend, if you uttered this prayer for the very first time, let me be the first to welcome you to the family! Now, please don't let this prayer be the end of your salvation. You have brothers and sisters that want to walk alongside you and help you learn more about our amazing Father. Find a local church to become involved in. If you live in the Bonifay area, we'd love to have you visit us at Northside Assembly! Always remember, though, that the church is NOT a place you go to worship. The church is the group of believers that love God and one another. So as long as the truth of God's word is being preached, it doesn't matter where you worship.

For those that recently experienced loss, I pray that you are encouraged in the blessed hope we have in Christ. Very soon we will be reunited with our loved ones, and God will wrap us all in His tremendous love. Until then, we move forward in hope.

© 2024 Jill Cook. All rights reserved.

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