Let’s face it – we are all going to eventually die from some cause. And when we do, what will happen to us and where will we go? There IS life after death and it would be foolish to spend our earthly life trying to live as long as we possibly can to the neglect of preparing for our eternal life after death.
There IS an option for us. The truth is that heaven is available when we leave this earthly life; and until we get there, we also have the option of personal access 24 hours a day to the God who created all things and deeply loves and cares about each one of us individually. In addition, God will create a new heaven and a new earth where we will be able to live forever with a new body which is not subject to any disease. God Himself desires such a close relationship with us. Other benefits of such a personal relationship with God include the following. 1) Stability; a relationship with God keeps us grounded whatever our circumstances be. 2) Security; knowing God the Father intimately removes our fears because we can trust His unfailing love and provision. 3) Serenity; even in difficult times we have peace and confidence that our situation is in His capable hands. 4) Sensitivity; we become more responsive to God’s plans for our lives and the needs and emotions of other people. 5) Spiritual understanding; we begin to comprehend God’s Word in a deeper way than ever before and He will teach us to see our lives from His perspective.
Jesus Christ says in Revelation 3:20, “I 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.” Through such an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ, issues such as prostate cancer can be seen in an entirely new context. How then does one enter into such a personal relationship with God?
First, we have to realize some characteristics about God. His love for us is deeper than any earthly love relationship; God has a specific plan for each of our individual lives; and, He desires that we know Him in a meaningful and intimate way. But just as an operating room in a hospital must be a sterile environment and bacteria or viruses cannot be tolerated, God cannot tolerate anything in His presence that violates His commandments. He is holy and totally just and fair. I am sure that we can all agree on the fact that we all have at some time in our lives, violated one or more or God’s commandments, either in thought, word or deed. Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Since God’s nature includes being totally just and fair, He cannot simply overlook these “violations” or sins. So something must be done to pay this “penalty” for our sins. Since we are all imperfect, we ourselves are incapable of paying the penalty for our own sins. God perceived this problem and came up with the perfect solution.
God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to earth as God in human form, to live a perfect, sinless life. Jesus willingly sacrificed His life as the full payment for our sins. But we have to acknowledge our sins, confess them to God, be willing to forsake them with God’s help (repentance), and place our entire faith on Christ’s death for us as opposed to any good works that we could perform. This can be done as a simple sincere prayer from our heart. At that point, there are no longer any sinful barriers between us as individuals and God. He comes to live in us as stated above in Rev. 3:20 and gives us the Holy Spirit as our guide and teacher. Not only that, but since Christ was bodily resurrected from the dead, we get to share in His victory over death and are given the gift of eternal life. Simply put in John 3:16, “for God so loved the world” (each of us individually), “that He gave His only begotten Son” (Jesus), “that whoever believes in Him” (put our faith completely in Jesus), should not perish but have eternal life.” What a gift!!!!
If you desire such a personal relationship with God, tell Him in your own words, or pray something like the following.
“Dear God, I acknowledge that I am imperfect and that I have sinned against You in thought, word and deed. I place my faith in your Son Jesus as my personal Savior and recognize that His death on the cross took all the blame for my sins once and for all. On that basis, please forgive all my wrongdoings and let me live in a right relationship with You from now on. I also believe Jesus rose from the dead and is alive today in heaven thus providing me with the gift of eternal life. I surrender control of my life to You as best as I know how. Please show me how to live for You, walk daily with You and know you better each day. I pray this in Jesus’ name, Amen.”