God loves and desires a relationship with each of us as we walk through life. He also wants us to experience life forever together with Him after we leave this earth.

In our human nature, we sin. It is this sin that separates us from God. No matter how hard we try, on our own we cannot have peace with Him.

A few years ago, I visited the Grand Canyon. As I stood on the canyon’s South Rim and gazed at the enormous gap that lay between me and the North Rim, I thought about the ‘gap’ that sin creates between humans and our Creator.

The good news is that God has made a way to eliminate the gap for you and I. He did this by sending his Son, Jesus, who lived a sinless life, died on the cross as a sacrifice and payment for our sins, and rose from the grave. Jesus literally stood in the gap, making it possible for anyone who trusts Him to be right with God.

Having Jesus Christ as our Savior means we are allowing Him rescue us from a life of sin and give us new life in Him. This gift of rescue cannot be earned. It is freely given. We only have to receive.

If you desire to have a relationship with Jesus:

Admit to God your need for forgiveness. Believe that Jesus died on the cross and that He rose from the grave to make your right with God.

Make the decision to turn away from sin and turn toward Jesus. ‘Take off’ your own old way of living and ‘put on’ a new way of living. This is called repentance.

If you are a new Christ follower:

Look into reading the Bible*—God’s ‘Love Letter’ to us.

Learn about Baptism and the practice of Holy Communion.

It is helpful to be in fellowship with others. A Bible-based church provides opportunity to grow alongside other believers.

Remember that following Christ is not about following rules. It is about being in relationship with the Person of Jesus. He wants you to imitate His ways because He loves you so deeply, and knows what is truly best for you. A life lived in following His ways also helps to point others to Him. Being a Jesus-follower doesn’t mean that you will have a life without difficulty. But it does mean that you’ll have the comfort of His presence through it all. You will still make mistakes (as we all do), but you can access His power to help you want to make right choices.

You can be assured that, in Him, you have been forgiven and made clean.

*The New Testament Books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John give account of Jesus’s life and ministry while He was on earth. This can be a helpful place to begin if you are new to reading the Bible. That said, ask God to lead and guide you. All Scripture is breathed by God and useful for our lives today! (See 2 Timothy 3:16) I have found resources such as Bible Hub, & You Version to be very useful.