I want to open my heart to Christ, but I don’t know how to do it. If I do it, I don’t know if I’ll be doing it right. I’m trying not to say bad words or see bad things. I want you to advise me as to what I can do so that Christ will come into my life.
Dear Friend,
Thank you for asking your question. The answer is an important one, and many people are interested in hearing it.
Some people think that all we need to do is believe in Jesus Christ as the Son of God. However, even Satan believes in the existence of Christ, so just believing is obviously not enough. Other people think that being a good person, being kind to others, and doing good deeds are what will get us to Heaven. Sadly, those people are also mistaken. If just being good were enough, then why did Jesus have to die on the cross?
Many religions have developed rules and regulations as a path to God. Most religions also have ceremonies and traditions they follow in an attempt to please God. But rules, regulations, ceremonies, and traditions are all actions. Jesus was more interested in who we are on the inside. He said, “On the outside you appear to people as righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.”(1) By this statement, Jesus made it clear that all of the righteous and religious things that we can do will never change what we are on the inside.
God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses thousands of years ago. By following these laws, we can live in peace with one another and minimize the hurt that we inflict on others. However, following the laws is still not what can get us into Heaven or into a personal relationship with Christ.
So does that mean that God is trying to make it difficult to know Him? Not at all! He loves us very much and actually sacrificed His only Son so that we could know Him personally. But our sin separates us from a holy God. Therefore, we must ask Him to forgive our sins. Thankfully, even though our sins deserve punishment, Jesus already paid our penalty when He died on the cross. If we ask Him to, God will wash away every sin and give us clean hearts. But keep in mind that He knows our secret thoughts and intentions, and also knows whether we really want to know Him, or if we are just trying to say some magic words that will keep us from feeling guilty.
A personal relationship with God begins with a simple and sincere prayer in our own words, but it is not something that is finished with just that one prayer. Instead, it is daily communication through prayer and reading the Bible. As we make these efforts to know God better, He will use our consciences to help us follow the Ten Commandments as an outward demonstration of who we have become on the inside.
Our wish for you is that you will begin a personal relationship with Christ today,
Linda and Charles
____________________
1 Mt 23:28