#!/usr/bin/perl use strict; use warnings; print "The Way Home Here are the key elements by which we become reconciled to the Father. + Each is vitally important. Any, if absent, could keep our new relati +onship from being complete. Our condition: First, we must understand that we are separated from Go +d. The chasm dividing us is both wide and deep. We inherited a fatal +defect at birth. As a result, we have lived our lives independently f +rom him. The Bible emphasizes this stark reality: “For all have sinne +d and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). If we can’t come + to grips with the fact that sin separates us from God, we’ll never c +ome home spiritually, for there is no need for a savior. God’s remedy: Second, we need to be very clear in understanding who Je +sus is and what he has done for us, in order that we might confidentl +y place our faith in him. He bridged the chasm separating us from God +. In the apostle John’s words: “For God so loved the world that he ga +ve his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not peris +h but have eternal life” (John 3:16). Jesus was not just a good man, a great teacher, an inspired prophet. H +e came to earth as the Son of God. He was born to a virgin. He led a +sinless life. He died. He was buried. He rose again on the third day. + He ascended into heaven where he became both Lord and Christ. Jesus’ death and resurrection on our behalf satisfied God’s requiremen +t – complete provision for our sin. This Jesus, and he alone, is qual +ified to be the remedy for my sin and yours. Our response – to repent and believe. Personal repentance is vital in the transformation process. Repentance + literally means “a change of mind.” It is to say to the Father, “I w +ant to turn toward you and away from the life I’ve lived independentl +y from you. I am sorry for who I’ve been and what I have done and I w +ant to permanently change. I receive your forgiveness for my sins.” Many at this point experience a remarkable “washing” from a lifetime’s + accumulation of all that can degrade a person’s soul and spirit. Whe +ther or not we sense God’s forgiveness, if we repent, we can be very +certain that we’re forgiven. Our confidence is based on God’s promise + to us, not how we feel. We come into a personal relationship with the Lord when we make life’s + greatest decision – the turning point referred to earlier. It is to +believe that Jesus is the Son of God, the One who died for our sins, +who was buried and was raised from the dead – and to receive him as o +ur Savior and Lord. When we believe in this way, we become God’s chil +dren. This is emphatically promised in John’s gospel: “To all who rec +eived him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to be +come children of God” (John 1:12). Would you like to receive Jesus Christ as your savior? If you would, y +ou can pray a prayer like this: “Jesus, I need you. I repent for the life I’ve lived apart from you. T +hank you for dying on the cross to take the penalty for my sins. I be +lieve you are God’s Son and I now receive you as my Savior and Lord. +I commit my life to follow you.” Did you pray this prayer?\n";<br>
In reply to A prayer for the monks by Kevin_Raymer
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