Crossing The Chasm (The Hope I've Found)
By: Kristen L. McNulty
Reprint rights available on request. Email the author at kristenmcnulty@hotmail.com.
We are living in a world right now where we are looking for hope on the horizon, looking for rescue from wars, tribulations, broken relationships, broken families, losing loved ones, facing devastating illness, the list of things we are looking for rescue from is long. We are looking for someone to come in and save the day. To remove us from situations with no easy answers and to assure us that everything is going to be okay. And while as fellow traveller on this human journey can't provide you with the rescue you are looking for, I can point you towards the rescuer who has saved me. His hope and love and rescue has allowed me to walk through very dark times, not exempt from the effects of it, but so saturated in His light that I'm not wandering lost, filled with fear and worry. That person is Jesus Christ.
He's Not Just A Footnote in a history book
You may have heard a lot of things about him in your life. Probably some things true, other things not. But what I hope and pray you'll grasp is he is not just a historical figure. He is not just a footnote in a history book. Jesus is the one and only son of the living God who came to earth to live as a man, pointing us all to God the Father, and throwing open the door not just for a ticket to heaven, but a living relationship with God here and now. And that relationship changes absolutely everything!
See there was a chasm between God and humans like us. While none of us like to think about ourselves as less than perfect, if you have ever read the Old Testament it probably wouldn't take more than a page to realize that even the best person on earth missed the mark when it came to following all of the rules laid out there. But that's why Jesus and His death and resurrection matter, because it provided another way.
There Is A Bridge Across The Chasm
By dying for our sins, Jesus' blood completely covers our mistakes and instead of being evaluated based on our actions, we are covered by his. So many of us want to try and close the gap between us and God by good deeds. Yet good deeds don't give us enough material to build a bridge to the other side. But the good news is, the gospel is, there's already a bridge across and His name is Jesus. If you accept his sacrifice on the cross and believe he was raised from the dead three days later and ask him into your life, God welcomes you in with open arms across the chasm. Not only as a promise that you will spend eternity in heaven when you breathe your last breath, but into relationship you now can have with Jesus and God that changes everything here and now! As Romans explains:
"When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners. And since we have been made right in God's sight by the blood of Christ, he will certainly save us from God's condemnation. For since our friendship with God was restored by the death of his Son while we were still his enemies, we will certainly be saved through the life of his Son. So now we can rejoice in our wonderful new relationship with God because our Lord Jesus Christ has made us friends of God." Romans 5:6-11
The Relationship That Changes Everything
This is the relationship that will change absolutely everything in your life. Not only giving you the hope of heaven when you die, but having the source of that very hope fill you with:
-Peace during times like now of absolutely uncertainty (John 14:27).
-Strength when you feel like you just can't make it through (Isaiah 40:29).
-Life, beautiful abundant life, even in worst of circumstances (John 10:10)
-Light, no matter how dark it seems in the world (John 8:12).
-Forgiveness that truly cleanses, no matter what you've done (Hebrews 8:12).
-And hope even when everyone and everything around you seems hopeless (Romans 5:3-5).
For many of us life has never been harder than it is right now, but I am pleading with you to not go it alone. Your creator knows your name and He's calling to you right here and right now to have the kind of relationship that both changes your address for eternity, but also sees you through every single day of your life.
Will You Accept The Gift?
So will you accept it? Will you stop trying do it on your own or trying to somehow earn your way? And will you instead accept the sacrifice that was already made on your behalf on that first Good Friday and Easter Sunday?
If you'd like to accept Jesus' sacrifice and invite God into your life, there's no checklist, it's very simple. The Bible tells us in Romans 10:9-10 how it's done when it says:
"If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved." Romans 10:9-10
Declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead. That is the only requirement God has of you, His son has taken care of the rest by His death and resurrection. Don't let another day go by where you are wandering along, hoping for a rescue. Accept the rescue that is waiting for you, His name is Jesus and in His death you can find life, not just in eternity when you die, but here and now. Be assured of that.
Closing with 1 John 4:9-10:
"God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love-not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins."
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