Who is Jesus Christ? The first thing that comes to mind is unconditional love. I've been a Christian my entire life, and I still struggle to understand what true unconditional love means. Unconditional love is something that very few of us will experience on this Earth because, as humans, we are prone to push away people whenever they do something unsavory. However, the love of Jesus Christ extends past all of our wrongdoings. Simply put, Jesus died on the cross for our sins. The well-known verse that explains our salvation through Him is John 3:16 (NIV): "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." This is a big deal, for none of us are perfect; we all fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), and we all are born into the world prone to sin. John 3:16 explains that Jesus's sacrifice to us absolves any of the wrong that we have done and will continue to do as long as we believe in Him and confess our sins, thus saving us from eternal damnation and securing a spot in heaven with everlasting life.

Many people that I have introduced to Jesus seem to think that they are not good enough for God, that they are not good enough people to be in church, or just feel like because of what they have done they are irredeemable. I'd like to tell anyone who is reading this today that you are loved and accepted in Christ no matter where you have been or what you have done. Jesus died for ALL of our sins, not just the small white lies or small lapses in our character. There is no burden that is too large for God to handle. Those who accept Christ are all God's children, and through Him all of our sins are forgiven.

Jesus died for ALL of our sins, not just the small white lies or small lapses in our character.

Another common response I hear is what I like to generalize as "church hurt." People are hesitant because they have had a bad encounter with someone who was religious or maybe a church they went to rubbed them the wrong way. First, understand that humans are prone to error, and just because someone is bad or sinful does not make God bad or unloving. Second, the only thing that matters is your relationship with Jesus, not how others may be composing themselves. Although people may not always exhibit traits like Jesus, the Bible portrays Jesus as compassionate (Matthew 9:36), loving (John 15:13), humble (Philippians 2:7-8), and forgiving (John 8:10-11). We have a bad habit of focusing on the things that happen in our lives physically and forgetting that the main focus is Jesus Christ, not the people around us.

In order to accept Jesus in your life, go to Him in prayer. Accept him as your savior and start getting involved in your local church to learn more. If you have never prayed before, pray this aloud:

"Lord Jesus, I repent of my sins and surrender my life. Wash me clean. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. That he died on the cross for my sins and rose again on the third day for my eternal life, I believe in my heart and make confession with my mouth, that Jesus is my Savior and Lord. I thank you Lord for receiving me as I am. All this in Jesus name, Amen."

If you pray this simple prayer and believe it in your heart, you have been born again. Your new life in Jesus Christ has begun. Keep God first in your life and continue to chase after His kingdom. Learn to pray; learn how it is to walk like Jesus. If you have any questions, please contact me below! God Bless.