If you should die today, are you 100 percent sure—sure beyond the shadow of a doubt—that you would go to heaven? If you feel you can say yes, please read on.
If you should die and stand before God, and He asked you why He should let you into Heaven, what would you say? If your answer is, “I am sure I would go to Heaven because I have tried to be a good person,” it’s the wrong answer, so please read on.
Salvation, or the gift of eternal life, cannot be earned. To have earned it you would have had to live your life without ever sinning—something that no man except Jesus Christ Himself has ever done. This gift of the forgiveness of our sins, the gift of eternal life called salvation, is just that—a gift. It can’t be earned. Like any gift, it’s free and only has to be received.
The following verses help you see these glorious and eternal promises and truths.
We can know—not hope—that we have eternal life:
That these things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God (1 John 5:13).
No one has been able to live a sinless life:
As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one (Rom. 3:10).
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:23).
Sin has touched every person’s life:
Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Rom. 5:12).
We deserve punishment for our sins but Jesus offers us the free gift of eternal life: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:23).
God isn’t waiting for us to get cleaned up first. He’ll help us with that. He accepts us while we are still sinners, so there is no sense in putting it off:
But God commendedth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).
Faith in Jesus Christ, and receiving the gift of salvation, is initiated by believing in our hearts and saying what we believe to God first, and then to others:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shall be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Rom. 10:9-13).
If we say we haven’t sinned, we have lied to ourselves. When we admit that we have, God is faithful to continually cleanse us:
If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives (John 1:8-10).
Jesus is waiting for you right now! Don’t put it off for a second. Let Him into your life:
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me (Rev 3:20).
A Prayer Is All It Takes
If you would like to ask Jesus into your heart now, simply pray the prayer below to God and mean it from your heart. A miracle will happen as you pray. You will be forgiven and brought into the family of God:
Heavenly Father, I do believe that Jesus is your Son, that He came to earth to die for my sins, and that He rose again from the dead. Jesus, please come into my heart. Forgive me of all my sins. Wash them all away. Please come and live in my heart.
Teach my your ways, and help me to learn and understand your Word. Give me Christian friends who love You and can help me grow in Your Word. Help me find a church that will teach me the Bible, and help me grow in knowing you. I thank you now in Jesus name, Amen!
Welcome to the family of God!
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Timothy Burt is a pastor, author, and writer. He is best known as the author of Fresh Manna, a daily devotional and online Bible study.
Pastor Tim became a part of the leadership team at Living Word Christian Center in 1984 and was an Associate Pastor from 1989 until May 31st, 2017. He and His wife Renee, also a Pastor at Living Word, resigned after being a part of Living Word for 33 years on May 31, 2017. They felt impressed by God to pursue the tremendous growth of their ministry "Fresh Manna," as well as teaching conferences and seminars and increasing their involvement in the mission field through Tim and Renee Burt Ministries. Tim has a Bachelor of Theology degree and is a Christian blogger who has been writing a daily inspirational and teaching devotion three days a week called "Fresh Manna" for the past 22 years. It has been read in over 227 countries (official countries and territories). Tim was named one of the top 55 blogging Pastors. He is one of the top Social Media influencers in Minnesota with a strong presence on Twitter at https://twitter.com/TimBurt with over 187,000 followers. Between Tim's Fresh Manna Devotional and Twitter influence, he virally averages reaching over 4 million people daily with the gospel of Jesus Christ and the love of God.
Prior to working at LWCC, he worked at Northwest Airlines for 13 years. In 1985 he founded and was President of American Infant Care Products which marketed his patented invention, the first fold-down commercial infant changing table now used worldwide in public restrooms.
In their tenure at Living Word, Timothy Burt and his wife Renee created a Small Group Ministry when the church was about 800 people in size. Under the leadership of Sr. Pastors Mac and Lynne Hammond, the church grew to over 10,000 people. Pastor Tim and Renee led a diverse Small Group Ministry of over 200 groups. Tim also led weekly men's groups and a monthly Men's Breakfast of 250 plus men called Manhood for 27 years. Tim's responsibilities also included oversight over the Visitor and Member Relations Department, Leadership and Volunteer Development, and the Pastoral Care Department. Pastor Tim was also the Minnesota State Director of Christians United for Israel from 2006 thru 2017.
Tim and Renee are the parents of four children and have seven grandchildren. Tim loves to write, golf, run, and walk, and is a master gardener. He is a five-time marathon finisher. He is also a three-time award-winning gardener winning the Grand Prize in his city for his beautiful home garden and is a Master Gardener for the University of Minnesota's Master Gardener Extension Program.