You may have heard the familiar questions, “If you were to die today, would you go to heaven?” or “When God asks why He should let you into heaven, what will you say?”

To me the question is, “Do you know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior and Lord of your life?”

Only by knowing Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord can we find eternal life with God. And eternal life with God means accepting the gift of His presence for today, and for all of eternity. I once saw a bumper sticker that said:

Know Jesus, Know Hope      No Jesus, No Hope

When we have a personal relationship with Jesus, we will know true and lasting hope that will move us through and beyond the disappointments and difficulties of this world. When we do not have that relationship, we are tossed about by life’s storms, reaching for any passing help that may or may not hold. Many people know of or about Jesus, but do not personally know Him. When God sent Christ to the world, as the familiar John 3:16 says, “He so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”  Jesus is God’s invitation to know Him, and have an eternal relationship with Him.

If you don’t know Him in this way, there is no better time than today to begin that life relationship with Him.

1. Know Christ as Savior– Jesus came to save the world from the darkness of sin and death. He is the Light of the World (John 8:12). Faith in Him, and a personal relationship with Him, begins with understanding the problem of sin.

Romans 6:23- For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 3:23- All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Many of us hold back from coming to Christ because of a great weight of past sins and failures that we carry. We feel that God couldn’t possibly forgive us. Scripture is clear that we are all sinners. Our sins past, present and future cannot exceed the infinite grace of the God who was and is and is to come. We find freedom and forgiveness as we come and confess our sins, and acknowledge our need for a Savior.

Next we come to understand that Jesus’ death on the cross paid the penalty for our sin. The death that our sins deserved was paid by One who lived a perfect, sinless life. He was an atoning sacrifice.

1 Peter 2:24 – He Himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.

Romans 3:25- God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood.

Jesus’ death was not the end of His plan to save, but rather a beginning. He did not stay in the grave, but as history has testified, He resurrected from the dead. He rose again- He’s alive! And when we accept the gift of His death and resurrection, He becomes our personal Savior, alive in our hearts for eternity.

Romans 10:9- That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

2. Know Christ as Lord- The dictionary tells us a “lord” is “one who has power or authority over another to whom service and obedience are due.” The Bible tells us repeatedly that God is the “Lord of lords, and King of kings.” He is creator of all the earth and the universe, and He rules over all of His creation. Scripture tells us He is sovereign, and that nothing happens outside of His authority. It is a complicated, theological discussion to consider the sovereignty of God and the free will He has given us. But salvation involves both in some mysterious way. For your part, will you receive Christ as the Lord of your life, and give Him the service and obedience that He is due?

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

I like the illustration of asking God to take the steering wheel of our lives. Many have asked Him to come along on the ride as a passenger, seeking His blessing on the life that they want to live.  They don’t want Him to be the driver and have control of their life. But the Lord of lords and King of kings knows far better how to “drive” our lives. We will constantly wrestle for what we think is a better way, until we rest in the One who is The Way, The Truth and The Life.

We only understand with finite minds, but His knowledge is infinite. We only see our lives, but God sees all of humanity. We only see today, but God sees all of eternity.

So, how will you respond to Him? Will you surrender your way to His? Will you let Him be the Lord of your life?

Coming to a personal relationship with Christ- acknowledging Him as Savior and Lord of your life- is the greatest decision you can make in this life. In Him you will find the hope you seek. In Him you will find the peace and strength that you desire. And you will find the perfect, unconditional love your heart is longing for. Cry out to Him today, simply ask Him to forgive your sins against Him and against others, and He will make you whole. He will not refuse those who cry out to him and turn from their sin.

Please reach out to someone that you can share this decision with. Find a friend, pastor, fellow mom of a child with special needs. You will begin to experience a new hope as you begin this new journey of faith.