Jesus is a Choice

Your choice.  No one, including God, will make you choose one way or the other.  You have your entire life to make that choice.  You even get to change your mind at the last minute!

Numerous criminals, including death row inmates, have chosen Jesus in their final days on earth.  It makes little difference whether you choose Jesus as a six year old child or a 106 year old on your deathbed.  Choosing Jesus is choosing eternal life, life where there is no more fear, pain, suffering, sorrow, hate, disease, or death; no more bad stuff.  No evil.

The Bible teaches us that eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil gave us just that:  knowledge of good and evil. (Genesis 3:17)  The ground was cursed “for our benefit”, that we know both good and evil.  God allows these evil things to occur to teach us what is good, and what is evil.  And that there is both, good and evil, not only in the world, but in the entire universe.   And we get to learn this, first hand.

The choice Adam and Eve made subjected the human race to this fate.  The good news is, Jesus (God) chose to come down to earth, live a perfect, sinless life, then he chose to die for us and our sins.  And as God (in heaven) resurrected Jesus from this death, he too will resurrect us, in His time.  Jesus, as a result of His sacrifice, gave us this choice.

God is doing this because He loves us.  God chooses to love you, but you don’t have to love Him back.  You can choose to reject Him, and His Son, Jesus.  God will permit that, and allow you to spend eternity apart from Him, if you choose.  You may not like the choice you make, but you get to make it!

Being a good person on earth will not get you anywhere with God.  God does not measure earthly works.  He only measures your heart and your spirit.  He doesn’t want a bunch of humans in heaven gloating over those who “didn’t make it” (we would probably do that, too!).  He wants your loyalty, your respect, your love; unconditionally, like His love is for you.  God cannot make you love Him; you have to choose to love Him.  The death of Jesus is, was and will be God’s gift to the human race, that all sins, violations, trespasses, and criminal acts any of us have committed, past, present and future, will not be counted against those who choose Jesus.  A free gift, at no cost to anyone.  A gift so great you cannot buy it.

But it is too late to choose Jesus after you die.  That is why you should choose Jesus today.  Death can strike you in the next minute, the next day, or in 100 years, no one knows.  Death with Jesus will mean eternal life with Jesus; death without Jesus will mean a second, permanent death, separated from God and Jesus, without end.  Choose Jesus. 

To choose Jesus, pray the following:

Call out to God,

Acknowledge that God is the Creator of the entire universe.

Thank Him for your life, and for Jesus.

Thank Jesus for dying for your sins and for everyone’s sins, from the beginning to the end of time. Thank Jesus for the free gift of eternal life He has provided you. 

Pray for forgiveness.  We all have wronged others, and we all have wronged God.  Pray that you can learn to forgive others, just as Jesus has forgiven you.

Pray in the name of Jesus.

Once finished, contact other Christians you know, or send me an e-mail.  I can refer you to others in your area.


©2008 David Etenburn