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GRACE-in layman's terms
Most everyone has heard the hymn "Amazing Grace." What many don't understand, however, is how simple it is to receive it, and what it means to your life on earth. That's not to even mention what it means to everyone else to whom you may come in contact, and not to mention what it will mean when your earthly body decides to call it quits. Let's just stick with you and me right here and right now, for that is what we can at least have some semblance of understanding.
I am not a theologian or a pastor. I'm a businessman, and I'm serving God in the marketplace as well as my church. I am also a sinner, quick to anger, quick to hate, quick to bitterness, and quick to judge. I am not totally free from these things rearing their ugly heads at times, but I have been released into a new spirit of freedom and joy where the old things that once ruled are no longer in power. The power in my life is now the rule of Christ over me because I accepted Him as my Deliverer and Savior from the old life. Not only that, but Christ has promised that once my physical body on earth dies, I will be with Him forever. Why wouldn't anyone want to give their lives to a God that loves them that much?
There are many reasons, and the greatest one is pride. I'm not talking about "innocent" pride like that of a parent who takes joy in their child's accomplishments. I'm talking about the type of pride that equates oneself with God, or the type of pride that causes one to think they are above their fellow human beings; the type of pride that looks at Jesus Christ as terribly inconvenient and a great impediment to ones ultimate goal of satisfying their own selfish desires and gains. You cannot know the joy of accepting Jesus Christ without first dying in the old, prideful self, and being reborn as the new, humble follower of Jesus Christ. For too many folks, the prospect of giving up the seductive lures of the old life is simply too great. That is why you see folks with so much in material gain having perhaps the greatest obstacles to overcome in finding the Truth, the Way, and the Life.
If you have read this far, and want to receive the amazing grace of God through Jesus Christ, then I invite you to pray a simple prayer just like the following. Perhaps you have reached the lowest point of your life, or perhaps you have what seems to be everything to the world, but feel empty and meaningless. Whatever your condition or circumstance, if you are ready to receive an awesome God that loves you and wants the best for you, then just do it. Call upon His name:
"Lord Jesus, I am a sinner and I need you to cleanse the stains from my life. I'm tired of the old self, and I desire to be reborn in the newness of your grace and mercy. I call upon your name, the name of Jesus, to deliver me into a new life filled with Your Truth, Your Way, and Your Life. I accept that You died for me and rose again so that I might have life, and I now accept the joy and freedom that comes from giving up my life to You. Into Your hands I now give my life to do as You deem fit for now and eternity. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
If you prayed a prayer like this, then get ready for a life you never imagined, and search for a strong, grounded Bible based church. God will take you higher than you ever thought you could go.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
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