Our Journey with Jesus: Where's the Hope?

Welcome back!
I'm so glad you're here today and I look forward to continuing on our journey with Jesus.
Yesterday I laid out the problem we all have - that we're sinful by nature and cannot, therefore, be in a relationship with a holy God. That our sin has earned eternal death for us. And some of you may have found yourselves asking, So, where's the hope she's talking about?

Good question!

That's what I want to talk about today, as we continue moving through the book of Romans on our way to Easter.

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4

Therein is my hope!

God is righteous and our sin demanded punishment. He could not just "let it slide." Remember? God is holy. And to ignore our sin would be to go against His perfect character.
On our own, we could not take care of our sin problem. Our attempts to follow the Law failed. Our acts of righteousness were not enough. Our religious activities and good deeds have gotten us nowhere.
BUT, because of His great love for us, God made a way for our sin to be paid for - so we could be forgiven. That was the reason Jesus came to this earth.
Jesus lived a sinless life and was therefore worthy of taking our place. He became a sacrifice for us by hanging on the cross, and dying the death each one of us deserved to die.

And the result of that sacrifice, which we see in Romans 8? There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus!

Ahhhh, the HOPE!

So, my question for the Journey today: Are you in Christ Jesus? Have you confessed your sin, received the forgiveness of Jesus, and entered into a relationship with God through Him?

If you have, praise God for His great love and His work in your life!

If you have not, perhaps you sense God calling you to Himself today. You can begin that relationship with Him right now by praying. Confess to Him that you know you are a sinner in need of a Savior. Tell Him that you believe Jesus Christ is God's Son and that His death on the cross was for you. Ask Him to forgive you and to come into your life as your Leader and Forgiver.
There are no *magical* words you need to say. God knows your heart, and that's what matters.
And, friend, if you pray today and begin a relationship with God, (Or, if you just have questions which you'd rather not leave in the comments.) please click on the link to the right and email me. I would love to support you in this new relationship.

Please come back tomorrow, and let's continue this journey.

P.S. My church has just started a blog for the Women's Ministry, and I'm on the blog team. Click here if you'd like to read my post over there today.