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You know, I've had a lot of fun scouring the back allies & fields, finding the old cars you see here on my website,
pulling them out of the ditch and getting them back on the road. It's so much fun to bring these old pieces of history back
to life! There's just something about finding an old car, tinkering with it for a few days, and then be able to see it move
under it's own power again! Maybe it's the thought of taking something that's been thought of as junk or worthless, and seeing
it run again, finding that it really isn't junk after all! Every car or truck has it's own "story" that goes with it. Each
one brings visions of the past, scenes of the good 'ol days.....when folks were kind to one another..........
But
in recent years, I've realized that instead of looking for vehicles that have been discarded or put out to pasture,
I
need to be looking for PEOPLE who have been treated the same way! I've found that you don't have to look too far to find someone
who needs to be "pulled out of the ditch", so to speak; Even more rewarding than old cars is to see someone
come to know The One who can change their life!
There's only ONE person who is able to do this kind of restoration, and
His name is Jesus Christ! He can work these kinds of miracles using folks like you & me. You know, Christians aren't ANY
better than anyone else on this planet, I'm living proof of that! But by confessing my sins to God, The Bible tells me that
I've been forgiven!
Yeah, cars are a lot of fun. But they don't compare to the very real peace & joy that come
with a personal realtionship with God (Yes, you can have this!) through his son, Jesus! The only problem is, most folks don't
want to accept the fact that they're sinful by nature, and need saving. (Example: "But I've been a good person...I haven't
murdered anyone or robbed a bank! I'll go to heaven!" ...WRONG!) Why must we be so proud?!? Have you ever watched two babies
play? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see how greedy and selfish we are by NATURE. See, we weren't born already being
guilty of murder, rape, or robbery; We just posess sinful qualities when we're brought into this world......get it? And we
don't "outgrow" this nature. We may be "nice folks", but in God's eyes we're still sinners.....separated from Him by this
sin NATURE. So don't be so offended when someone says we're all sinners, OK?
Now, Having said all that, we need a "bridge"
to get us back to God (since He is Holy). That bridge is JESUS CHRIST, God's son! We deserved death & eternal separation
from God, but He loved us so much, He gave up His only son to die in our place on the cross. Here's what God's word tells
us:
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one & only Son,that whoever believes in Him shall not perish,
but have everlasting life."(John 3:16, NIV)
You have absolutely nothing to lose, and EVERYTHING to gain! It won't
cost you a cent, but you'll gain eternal life!
It's God's free gift to you! Like I said before, Christians aren't perfect,
or better than anyone, but we HAVE been forgiven (which requires being humble enough to realize you NEED to be forgiven!).
It does seem too simple, I realize. But it's not: It actually has to come from your heart, and that's not easy.
Now
you have a choice. To accept God's FREE gift of salvation, or reject Him.
You don't know what tomorrow holds! PLEASE accept
Him now; you'll be forever glad you did.
Please read on:
At this moment, you probably feel something going on inside; that's GOOD! Because
The Holy Spirit is working on you, urging you to do something about your spiritual condition.
You may be thinking:
"I know there IS something missing in my life, but I can't quite put my finger on it..." or maybe you think God could never
accept you for the things you've done, but don't worry! The only sin He can't forgive is the one you won't confess! That's
why Jesus died on the cross, to pay for ALL our sins. We can NEVER "good deed" our way into Heaven. Only by accepting Him
as your personal Savior will you enter Heaven.
You know deep in your heart that you need to get right with God;
Praying this prayer will do just that:
"Dear Heavenly Father, I know I am a sinner, and at this moment I turn my life
over to you. Please forgive me of all my sins, and come into my heart & my life. In Jesus' name,
Amen!"
Welcome
to the family of God! You have just changed your eternal destination from death & separation from God
to one of eternal
life!
The other day, I heard one of the most profound statements about the Christian
faith, which sums it up quite well:
"You must believe in order to understand, not understand in order
to believe".
How true this is! If you feel you have to understand 'all this "Jesus" business' before you
accept Him, you won't ever get it! That's what FAITH is all about. In today's world, we humans have become resistant to believe
in anything unseen for fear of being considered 'gullible'. But that's not how it works; God wants us to trust Him first,
then He'll help us understand.
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