You Can Choose This Life of Hope

The Choice Is Yours To Make

You know by now that I mean what I say: there is hope in this life for joy, peace, meaning, and purpose. We believe that hope is found in a God who made us, who loves us, and who wants us to live with Him forever. We believe that Jesus is the way to God; that God sent His Son to this earth to show us the way to Him. Jesus is the bridge from an imperfect life with its sin and frustration to a life with God. Jesus made a way for us by dying for our sins, and God raised him from the dead. So now what?

Jesus said “if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” There it is…the answer to making hope for life real. It starts by getting out of the way. We have all shown that we don’t have the answers. But as long as the focus is on us, there is not room for Jesus. We must be willing to let our old self die, so there can be a new life in its place. That’s why Jesus said take up the cross. The cross is where Jesus died for us. We share in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus by being baptized. This act of faith in Jesus is literally an immersion into water. At this moment, I’m born again, receiving God’s Spirit in my life to help me live better.

Once we have expressed our faith in Jesus by being baptized, we spend our days living forgiven. As a “new baby” in Christ, the goal is to get rid of our old selves and learn to follow Jesus every day. We try to live as he did and treat people as he did, and talk as he did. This commitment frees us to fulfill the purpose God has for each of our lives: to do good so that others might see God through us.

As new members of God’s family, we are able to enjoy life with others in our new family. We meet together to remember the death of Jesus. We study together, pray together, and spend time helping each other live as new creations in Christ. We connect to other people just like us: people that Jesus died for, people that experienced the same new birth in baptism, and people committed to being more like Jesus every day.