A NEW BEGINNING
JESUS: NOT A LIFE-IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM
Exclusive: Greg Laurie discusses what each of us 'really longs for deep down inside'
Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the oldest completed Hebrew manuscript of the Old Testament was dated to around A.D. 900.
The Dead Sea Scroll of Isaiah is dated to 200 B.C., and when it was translated, it was found to have no major changes from the text we already have.
God gave the Scriptures to the Jewish people, and they painstakingly preserved those Scriptures.
Now we have both the Old and the New Testament, which we call the Bible.
There are three ways you can look at the Bible:
You may see it as a book filled with good ideas and moral lessons, just a general guide to life.
Or, you might acknowledge the Bible is a book from God, but it was written by man.
It may have contradictions, but it has a lot of good things to say.
Or, you believe the Bible is the very word of God, inspired by God and indeed given to us by God, and it is total truth.
The last position is the one I hold.
It’s also the position the apostle Paul held and the position the Bible itself holds.
The Bible tells us,
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12 NKJV).
Or, as another translation puts it,
“God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon’s scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God’s Word. We can’t get away from it – no matter what” (verses 12–13 MSG).
According to the American Bible Society, approximately 87 percent of American homes have a Bible.
Ironically, fewer than half of all American adults can name the four Gospels.
A survey of graduating high school seniors revealed that 50 percent thought Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.
Eighty-two percent of Americans believe that the statement “God helps those who help themselves” is in the Bible.
Not only is it not found in the Bible, but it isn’t a biblical statement.
Obviously, it’s great to read the Bible, but we need to read it with comprehension.
The Bible uses the word “meditate” quite often, which has nothing to do with the Eastern version of meditation.
The biblical meaning of meditation is to ponder and consider.
When we meditate on Scripture, it’s something that will help us internalize it more deeply.
It is not enough to go through the word of God;
the word of God needs to go through you.
It is not how you mark your Bible;
it’s how your Bible marks you.
Let it impact your life.
If I were to choose one verse in the Bible that sums up the message contained therein, I would choose John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (NKJV).
That is the message of the Bible: God loves you.
Sooner or later we all get around to asking the big questions of life, such as “Why am I here?” and “What is the meaning of my life?” and “What happens after I die?” The Bible answers all those questions and more.
The Bible says that God created you.
And God says that he loves you. He has a plan for you.
Your life is not an accident; it has meaning and purpose.
Many people spend their lives chasing after things that don’t fill the hole inside them.
Our lives are a lot like a puzzle.
We think that if we put all the right pieces in place, then we will be fulfilled.
If we graduate from college and get that career and marry that person and have that perfect number of kids, then we’ll have the perfect life and everything will be fine.
But something is missing
My wife is a puzzle person.
One day she was finishing a puzzle, and there was one piece left. But she couldn’t find that final piece.
We both were down on our hands and knees searching for that missing puzzle piece.
Finally I found it.
That is how it is in life.
We get all these things in place that we think will bring fulfillment, and we’re saying,
“I can’t find the last piece of the puzzle.”
Meanwhile God is saying, “Hello! It’s right here.
The missing piece of the puzzle is a relationship with me through my son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for your sin and rose from the dead.
And if you will asked Jesus Christ to come into your life, your puzzle will be completed.”
That is what you’re searching for –
not religion, not morality, not a material thing, not even a relationship.
What you really long for deep down inside is a relationship with God.
That is the meaning of life.
And when you find Christ, you’ll find that meaning you’re searching for.
People don’t like to hear about the cross that Jesus died on, because when we look at the cross and how Christ suffered, it’s a reminder that we’re sinners.
And that offends people.
I’m sorry if it offends them, but it’s the truth.
God has dropped one lifeline from Heaven for us to get there, and it is Jesus Christ.
He came to this earth on a rescue mission to forgive all our sin and reveal to us the meaning and purpose of life.
So don’t be afraid of the Bible. Don’t be afraid of Jesus.
Run to him.
He’s the one you’re searching for.
He’s the one you’re longing for deep down inside.
Jesus did not come to this earth to improve our lives.
Jesus Christ came to this earth to save our lives.
And he will do that for you if you will believe in him.
Read more at https://www.wnd.com/2019/04/jesus-not-a-life-improvement-program/#LJopphlJkOXiwh68.99
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