Do you know what life is about? The years can go by very quickly as you live life, going through the trials and hardships that we all face.

Life is a gift, Eternal life in Christ is the greatest gift to mankind. The healthiest person can die by some unknown natural cause or an accident. No one knows what tomorrow will bring for them, there are no guarantees.

Many when they get older, more mature turn to a spiritual life, they understand that their body, this world is not all there is. They still feel the same youth inside though their body is wearing out. They search for answers through philosophy, religion. They turn to humanism to do good. There are those that teach a positive life attitude is what is needed for right living.

There are numerous teachers of all types throughout history that have said they have the answer.

Jesus is not like other religious leaders. We are not told to do good to be accepted. We were not just given a set of rules to learn and abide by. Too many people, even those who go to church have this view of him and what he delivered.

Jesus said He came to give us an abundant life, not for things but for what matters. A fullness to our soul, to be satisfied in life with what really matters. To be content with little and have a peace when conflict and trials come. Where we can stay the course and not be shipwrecked with what life throws at us.

Jesus said “My peace I give unto you.” It is that rest for our soul, He shares His peace with us in the midst of the worst of circumstances, in the trials of life. But one must make “peace with God” first to have “The peace of God” with them when facing these trials.

He gave us the power to live a Christian life in the Holy Spirit by our accepting the Gospel, but, we must choose, be willing to do what is right. What is required is for you to have this become your hearts desire, your reason for living. It is priority one.

Going to church does not mean you are a Christian any more than going to school means you ARE educated or a teacher.

Jesus gave us the message of the gospel to be the entry way, to rescue us from our sinful condition. But for the gospel to work we must know the condition we are in. Without seeing we are bankrupt there is no need to look for the solution, a solution that the son of God alone can give.

One of the more popular teachers on TV, Joel Osteen has a prayer at end of this sermon which can be said by any religion (minus the name Jesus):

And I want you to just pray a simple prayer with me. Maybe you don't know how to pray. But all you got to do is say this prayer and mean it with your heart. Say, Jesus, come into my heart. Save me. Be my Lord. Be my Savior. Jesus, I want to serve You all the days of my life. I'm not everything I want to be Jesus, but I know You'll make me into what You want me to be. Jesus, I'll serve You all the days. I'll give you 100%.”

For one “to be saved” they need faith in the message, and that is the gospel. And the gospel is about rescuing you from your condition, and your condition is sin, and sin brings death and judgment. It will destroy you, kill your body and destroy your soul.

Your salvation is not dependent on saying the right words in a prayer. I don’t think one can find any example of anyone praying for salvation in the book of Acts. Not that it is excluded, but You can exercise biblical faith without a prayer of words, and be accepted by God… but, praying without faith, repeating words that are put in your mouth, repeating the words of the messenger is not what is required … to believe in Jesus can be accompanied with spontaneous prayer from the heart (in your own words) showing that you understand what you have heard and receive the gospel message as the solution to your predicament or it is only a futile religious exercise of words.

Does everyone need the gospel? Yes, of course. There is only one way to God. But it can only be applied to those who can admit they are sinful to be saved by Him. Bu this is not as easy as one would think.

Jesus said this twice Mark 2:17 When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."

One goes to the doctor and he tells them they are ill they believe and trust his judgment and will take the medicine needed to make them well. This is not so when it comes to our spiritual illness that affects our human nature. Why? It is pride that gets in the way. We think we can fix it ourselves.

God loves you enough to tell you that you sin. A sinner is someone who has a fatal disease that has separated them from their creator, it will being death. One knows they are a sinner because they searching for a cure - that cure is the gospel, which only God can provide. It is God’s grace that gives us the way to Him through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).

Jesus must be seen as the only way, a life and death dependence on Him and His work in the crucifixion, to have salvation received. For it is He alone that one must depend on, trust in.

Rom. 10:13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved.”

1 Cor. 15:2-4 What did Paul preach? “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”

Your positive attitude cannot save, baptism cannot save, nor any other work of man. No work can; only His work, that of His sacrifice which was 100% sufficient to be complete.

1 Cor. 1:18 “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” V. 1:21 “it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached, to save those who believe.”

Only those who are saved by the message can give the message, for they understand who saved them and how.

Savage in writing about the god he thinks is God is not describing the God of the Bible from Judaism nor of Christianity.

Today we have the one minute Bible for those who do not have time. Is that what this has come to? How can you be a Christian if you do not have time to read His word? It should be hid in your heart as David said.

Jesus said it is better to give than to receive, to be a recipient of what God gives is available to all. The best one can do in life is receive Jesus.

For the gospel to work, to bring salvation sin has to be understood as an offense to God, shame and guilt will be present before one puts their faith / belief, trust in the gospel, which is trusting in what Christ Jesus did for you.

We all have sinned (if you think you don’t, you are either lying according to the Bible or do not understand what sin is)

The power to save is by believing in the gospel, not by grace “only” as some universalist's teach.

We are not all children of God, we must be born into God’s spiritual family, there are not different faiths but one faith (Eph.4:5).

We make decisions on matters in life every day, some are more important than others, but there is one decision that changes one eternity.

Time stands still as if holding its breath when it is decision time for a person. We do not know how many chances we will receive. There is no time like the present, as The Bible says today is the day of salvation, today, not tomorrow.