FIRST LOVE EXCITEMENT

Is your Christian faith exciting to you? Or has it become boring like putting on your socks in the morning? You know it shouldn't be that way. Our Christian faith should put a smile on our face, give us an invincible spirit, and a confident hope that will not fade.

How can we get that fresh "first love" excitement back in our Christian lives? By becoming aware of the devastating consequences sin causes to our relationship with God, by becoming aware of our immediate need for forgiveness, by recognizing that only God can help, and that He has helped us by having His one and only Son to be made sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.

Each morning we should be thrilled that we have been redeemed, that we are God's children through faith in Christ, that our life has purpose and hope. Then our Christian faith will be exciting and worth sharing.

Read: 2 Corinthians 5:21;

WITHOUT CHRIST

It is calculated that every minute of every day more than a hundred people die without Christ. But it seems that very few people are disturbed by it.

Jesus said very clearly, "No one comes to the Father except through Me." For some God's Word is the authority. But for many others, reason is. What does reason tell us? "People don't need Jesus Christ because God will not condemn them." Because of that kind of reasoning, people have denied the purpose of Christ's death and have denied the redemption He has earned. They have also denied His command, "Go and make disciples of all nations by baptizing them and teaching them." There is a purpose behind Christ's command too, namely, that people everywhere might know that "God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life."

Please understand: Without Christ there is no salvation. More than a hundred people died without Christ this past minute. Believe in Jesus Christ so that it will not happen to you.

Read: John 14:6; Matthew 28:19-20; John 3:16; Acts 16:31;

A NEW LIFE

Have you ever carefully examined yourself only to discover how terribly self-centered you are? It is so easy to feel sorry for ourselves, to be angry at someone else, to think that we are being mistreated.

We become so preoccupied with ourselves that we leave no room for Christ to come into our lives. To live only for ourselves is to set our minds for bitterness, resentment, greed, lust, and all forms of selfishness, and thus to sink into a self-made pit of despair.

If we want to laugh, have hope, and know confidence, we need to get outside of ourselves. But that is impossible unless God creates a new heart and renews a right spirit within us. That is the rebirth Christ talks about. That's why our ears ought to be open and our eyes fixed on Jesus because He is the one who calls us by the Gospel to believe in Him.

For after all He is the one who has redeemed us from all of our sins. He lived and died that we might live. So let us forget about ourselves, trust Him, and look forward to a whole new life in Christ Jesus.

WHAT IS BAPTISM?

What is Baptism? It is a sacred act instituted by Christ. Through simple water connected with God's Word, Christ Jesus offers, gives, and seals to us the forgiveness of sins, new life, and salvation. As the Apostle Peter says, "Baptism now saves you also."

Christ, our Lord, says in the last chapter of Matthew, "Go, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." So you see, Baptism is not simple water only, but it is water used by God's command and connected with God's Word.

Some ask, "Why should I be baptized?" The answer is that to be baptized in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit means to be received into fellowship with the Triune God, to become a member of His family, and an heir of everlasting life.

God intended Baptism for salvation and as a source of comfort for "all nations" which includes all people, as the Apostle Peter also says, "The promise is to you, and to your children." How gracious our God is through Christ Jesus, our Lord!

Read: Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:38-39; 1 Peter 3:21;