Forgiveness and friendship.
It’s just that simple. To be forgiven by Him and to have a close friendship with Him are my two greatest needs.
The world is filled with great religions and great prophets, but only one prophet and only one faith offer forgiveness for my sins. That prophet is Jesus … that faith is Christianity.
On my best days, I’m a sinful man. I can’t imagine having to carry the weight of that sin around with me every day, but thanks to Jesus, I don’t have to! He overcame my sin before I ever had a chance to commit it. He overcame death long before I breathed my first breath. He offered me a gift I couldn’t refuse.
I was baptized for the forgiveness of my sins and to receive the gift of His Holy Spirit. His grace reaches even me, and I’m blown away by that fact over and over again.
I have many wonderful human friends who bless my life in incredible ways, but I need something more. I need an unshakable friendship … an intimate relationship … with the Perfect Friend … with the God who knows how to successfully navigate the highs and the lows of this crazy life with grace … dignity … and honor, and I’ve found Him. I’ve never met anyone like Jesus.
I begin each day with two goals … to honor Him with every decision I make and to treat everyone I come in contact with the same way that He treats me.
If others approve of me along the way, that’s a nice bonus. If others disapprove of me, I consider the source and make adjustments if the disapproval is justified. But the power to affect how I feel about myself is reserved for the only person who ever lived a sinless life and then offered Himself as a sacrifice on a cross so that I could be forgiven … Jesus. As long as He is pleased with me, that’s all that matters. He’s simply the Best Friend I have.
He loves me. He forgives me. He knows me inside out, and He chooses to be friends with me anyway … despite me. That’s why I choose Jesus.
~s
