Wondering

Wondering About God?

If you're like a lot of people, you're wondering about God.

First, and most important . . . ordinary, regular,

not-exactly-perfect people (like you and me) can

be friends with God after all. God may be the ultimate

high and holy King of kings, the Lord of lords, the

Master of everything . . . but at the same time, He takes

notice of each individual on the planet and wants a

relationship with us. Does that seem unbelievable? After all, even the governor of your state probably doesn't know you by name. Surely the Governor of the Universe wouldn't be paying attention. Amazingly, He is!

With remarkable sensitivity He says through one of the ancient prophets, "I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.. I am the Lord; those who hope in me will not be disappointed."

What does He mean, "I will rescue you"? Rescue from what?

The answer is: God will rescue us from our own follies, our mistakes, our sins, our talent for shooting ourselves in the foot. That, in fact, is why He embarked on the greatest "rescue mission" of all time by sending His Son, Jesus to our world 2000 years ago. Jesus came to show us what God was like. He spent time extending heaven's olive branch our direction. Some gladly welcomed this, while others pushed Him away.

Eventually, His critics had Him crucified. Nevertheless, He represented "God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all men" (1 Timothy 2:3-6).

Naturally, we have to reach out and accept this Savior. Relationship is a two-way street. When we respond in repentance to a holy God, He declares us acceptable after all. He welcomes us into His spiritual family and begins the process of helping us grow and mature.

It's up to you! The door is open . . . but walking through it is a personal choice. To ignore the open door, or to procrastinate, may not seem all that significant today. But on that future day, it will surpass all the other decisions we've ever made in our whole lives.

If you haven't yet begun a relationship with God, here's what you need to do.

Admit that all is not well between you and God. Not that you're necessarily a bad person, but still. . . His standards are higher than you can reach. As the Bible says with some bluntness, "There is no difference. . . All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. " (Romans 3:22-23).

Believe that there's still a chance to remedy this situation, thanks to the generous sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He took the punishment we deserved. He stepped up on our behalf. "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly . . . For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 5:6 and 6:23).

Call out to the Lord for His forgiveness and acceptance. Tell Him honestly that you want to be changed on the inside. Ask Him to adopt you as one of His special children. He won't brush you off. He will welcome you. In the words of the ancient prophet Joel, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." (Joel 2:32, Romans 10:13)

You can talk to God about this anytime, anywhere, using any words you wish. You don't have to come up with a formal speech. Just be honest and tell God the essence of the A-B-C points above.

If you feel uneasy, here's a short prayer you can pray:

Dear God, I'd like to make things right with You. I admit I haven't always lived the way I should and I've broken Your rules. I ask for you forgiveness of my sins. Based on what Jesus did on my behalf, please accept me as one of Your children. I recognize You as the new Authority of my life, and I'll do my best to follow your direction. Be merciful to me, O God. Amen.

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