Good News

The Most Important Question

Whether church has been an important part of your past or you have never even set foot into a church building, there is a question you need to ask yourself—”What is life all about?”.  There are plenty of answers people give to this question, but all answers are not equal.  Most people in America, and in Harris County, are answering that question with responses like wealth or happiness or prestige or good relationships.  The problem with each of these answers is that they don’t last.  Jesus asked a very pointed question when He said, “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).  Have you ever thought about the obvious answer to this question?  Leo Tolstoy once observed that within each person is a God-shaped void.  All of us have that hole in us that only God can fill.  We may try to cram other things into it, hoping to fill it up, but ultimately we fail.  Maybe you have experienced the frustration or hopelessness of trying to find meaning in life apart from God.

In the midst of that hopelessness, there is a hope; there is good news.  The good news is that “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).  This one  verse of Scripture tells us much of what we need to know about God, about ourselves, and about Jesus Christ.  It tells us that God loves His human creations with a depth and selflessness that surpasses our understanding and that He willingly proved this love through great sacrifice.  It tells us that each and every one of us are sinners.  You may think of yourself as a good person, but surely you would admit that you’re not perfect—and only those who are perfect (and there are none) escape the label of sinner.  And the Bible teaches that sin earns each of us a just punishment—death (see Romans 6:23).  Now, back to the good news, the verse above tells us Christ died for us.  Jesus, the very Son of God who was equal with God, came to earth and lived a perfect life.  So why was He executed on the cross as a common criminal?  Because He was paying the penalty for sinners like you and me.  We deserved to be there, but He went there innocently.  Do you see why this is good news?  Can you find hope in this?  I pray that you can and that you will be convicted of your need to turn the controls of your life over to Jesus as your Savior and Lord.  If this is your desire, I hope you will call or come by so we can share in what God is doing in your life.  To God be the glory!