Life

Life! What is life? Is it simply the beating of our hearts in our bodies? Is it a vapor which comes for a short time and then disappears again? What is the purpose of life? Is it simply to be born, to spend a few years of happiness or unhappiness on this earth, and then to die? Life changes, and people change. What can one cling to? Is there something solid that you can depend on? Something real which doesn't disintegrate? Something pure which doesn't get tainted? Is there a hope which doesn't end in disappointment? Is there a life which is true, full, and completely satisfying?

Yes! There is. It is to be found in Jesus Christ. Do you know Him? Even if you don't know Him, He knows you and watches over you because He loves you. It is He and He alone Who can satisfy you fully and give you the kind of life your heart is longing for. Listen to His words: "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." Outside of Him you are on the wrong road, condemned to death and eternal punishment. Jesus offers true life to everyone, without exception; He offers it to you and to me. If you accept it you will find the real purpose of life. You will not be living in vain, but life will have an infinite value for you. God has a plan for your life, a plan of peace and security. It is worth everything to discover it.

To get this true life one has to be ready to make an exchange, to give up his own will and accept the will of God. You must give in to Jesus Christ, submitting yourself completely to Him. Is this difficult? No, because Christ Himself helps us make the right decision. And yet there are many people who have refused to do so because they have not understood that the apparent losses do not compare with the future gains.

In the Gospel of Matthew 7:13, 14, we read: "Heaven can be entered only through the narrow gate! The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide enough for all the multitudes who choose its easy way. But the gateway to Life is small, and the road is narrow, and only a few ever find it."

The broad door invites us to come in, and the highway tempts us to take an easy journey. No changes are required and no effort is needed. On the contrary, the door to life is narrow. You must renounce sin and have a renewal of heart, or conversion, in order to go through it. Each one has to decide for himself. We must not be sheep and just follow the crowd, believing or rejecting as they do. To receive this kind of life is a strictly personal matter.

My friend, do you attach any importance to your soul? What value do you give to this part of yourself which will live beyond the grave? Our stay on this earth is very short compared to the long eternity that will follow. Do you know that after death your soul will continue to live forever? What is your choice? Do you choose to go through the narrow door and to find real life? New life that begins now?

But perhaps you are asking, "What must I do to go through this narrow door and find eternal life?" To be saved, there is really nothing anyone can do, because Jesus has accomplished everything for us. You simply have to believe in what He has done, and that He has done it for you, personally. You have to believe that by dying on the cross He took the load of your sins, and that by shedding His blood, He carried the punishment which they deserved. Yes, Jesus has accomplished everything. There is nothing left to be done.

Therefore, come to God, by passing through Jesus Who is the only way. Humble yourself before Him and recognize that you are a poor sinner who has nothing to offer. Confess your sins to Him one by one, small or big. Tell Him you are sorry and that you will turn away from them. Ask Him to forgive you because of Jesus Who died for you. He will do it, and He will give you His Holy Spirit, to purify you and live in you. Then you will find that you are on the narrow road of true life. This is real Christianity. Day by day as you follow Jesus your heart will be at rest, and He will give you strength to face the rigors of life. Even death will hold no fear, because for you it will simply be the gate to heaven.