Music: Amazing Grace
Performed on Shakuhachi and Koto by Mr. Hamada Tomohiro and Ms. Sasaki Kimiko.
Used with permission.
The link to this page read, "About our name". Well, our name is all about God. The grace of God is truly the best thing you will ever find. So upon suggestion from Dan and Karen Ellrick about naming our garden, we chose the aviary name similarly.
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.
John 3:16
You may have heard John 3:16 before, but what does it mean? It means that God loved you so much that He gave Jesus, His only begotten son, to die and raise to life again on the third day for you! So you could have a personal relationship with Him and spend eternity in Heaven. It's a free gift. Jesus already paid for it. All you have to do is accept it.
Maybe you think you don't need religion. That's ok. You don't. But what you do need, is a relationship with Jesus Christ. In John 14:6 Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." This means that by themselves good deeds and living right won't get you to Heaven. Even just going to church does not save you from your sins. You say, sins? But, "I'm a good person". Romans 3:23 states, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God".
If you lack a relationship with Jesus, you will miss Heaven. You may argue that a loving God would not send someone to any place except for Heaven. People have a free will and everyone chooses for themselves where they will spend eternity. Through sin and unrepentance, people miss Heaven. You will spend eternity in one of two places. It's up to you to choose now. You can have a blessed assurance of some day going to Heaven though.
Not only do you need a re lationship with Jesus, He wants a relationship with you. In Matthew 11:28 He said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Jesus is calling to you. "Behold, I (Jesus) stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me." Revelation 3:20
Will you answer the door for Christ Jesus? You can choose today where you will spend eternity by choosing to follow Christ with the help of His Holy Spirit.
No one knows when they will die. Tomorrow is promised to no one. 2 Corinthians 6:2, For He says: "In an acceptable time I have heard you, And in the day of salvation I have helped you. Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."
Today is the day of salvation!
Dying without knowing Jesus as your personal savior is a risk not to be taken. At that point it's already too late to choose Him. You need to choose now. The consequences are eternal, and eternity is forever! The Lord is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. Do you want the peace that comes from knowing Jesus? Just pray a simple prayer and mean it with all sincerity and you can have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Romans 10:13 says, "For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
Out loud say (or sign if speech impaired), "Jesus, I'm a sinner. I believe that You died on the cross for my sins. I thank You for that sacrifice. Right now, I repent and ask You to come into my heart. Make me clean in Your sight and help me to be more like You and serve You each day, no matter where You may lead me. Right now, Jesus, I accept You as Lord and my personal Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen" (Amen = "let it be so")
If you prayed that prayer and meant it, congratulations! 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." So now what do you do? Get a Bible and read it every day. It's God's word and He'll talk to you through it. You can also pray and talk to God just as you prayed that prayer above. Talk to Him daily. Be encouraged to find a local church so that you can be in fellowship with other believers. Pray and have faith that God will guide you to a good church. Also, follow Jesus in water baptism. It's an outward expression of an inward change and lets people know that you have decided to follow Christ.
Have a blessed day and rejoice in the Lord always!