I love my community. I love our friends and the things we enjoy together. And one of the main things that I live by is this: we don’t have to agree on matters of faith to be friends. This plays itself out in many ways all across our city and this community we share.
I believe that everyone is on a journey of faith. It may look different for every person, but I believe that the pursuit of truth and finding relationship with our Creator is hard wired into every one of us. This belief drives me. It encourages me. It motivates me to share a genuine faith that changed my life.
While I deeply believe that we don’t have to agree on matters of faith to be friends, here’s a confession for every person I’ve ever met that is exploring matters of faith: I want you to give your heart to Jesus.
Why? What’s the big deal? Why Jesus?
The most simple answer I can give is that he changed my life, personally. I have walked through seasons of life that were heart wrenching. I have doubted my faith. I have doubted that there was a God that actually listened to me when I prayed. I have wrestled with the creation story and how all of this came together. In all of those endeavors of searching for truth, nothing satisfied me. Nothing brought peace to my heart. The more I learned, the more I became confused and unsettled. But Jesus brought me peace. An inward reality of safety and security. In short; satisfaction.
Do I still have questions? Yes. Do I understand everything? No. But my soul is satisfied in Jesus.
I want you to know Jesus because I want your soul to finally be satisfied. I want you to know Jesus because I have experienced the reality of relationship with him and I want that for you. I want you to know Jesus because he has given me peace in spite of the volatile circumstances of life more times than I can count.
I want you to know Jesus because I actually believe that he died for my sins and yours. Forgiven for my shortcomings and given relationship with my Creator through this relationship with Jesus. Mostly, I want you to know Jesus because I love you. And my greatest expression of love to you would be to continue to point you to the person that changed my life, forgave my sins and set me on a path that is full of purpose and passion.
Jesus gave us a pretty simple word picture of what it means to give your heart to Jesus. Check this out…
**Revelation 3:20 – “Look! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in, and we will share a meal together as friends.”
There is nothing more meaningful, beautiful or satisfying than my relationship with Jesus. There’s a ton of questions that will follow and there’s a bunch of us that can help you navigate those questions. But please don’t overcomplicate the first step: you have to open the door of your heart.
We don’t have to agree on matters of faith to be friends. I believe that deeply. It just so happens, though, that I believe in the work of Jesus in my life so much that I want to share this joy and reality with you. Satisfaction is real. My soul has felt and enjoyed that reality. This satisfaction of peace and oneness with our Creator is available to you.
Maybe today is your day? All you have to do is reach for the door handle of your heart.
Why do I want you to give your heart to Jesus? The answer is painfully simple: I actually believe this stuff. I believe that Jesus loves you and cares for you and deeply longs for relationship with you. I believe that he brings satisfaction to my life and yours.
He’s knocking today. The choice is yours. I’m praying for you to have the courage, strength and faith to open the door.
