God left heaven and became man (in the person of Jesus of Nazareth) for the purpose of offering His life as a sacrifice to pay the punishment of death for the sins of humanity.

If a man sacrificed himself to take a bullet meant for you, would you honor his dying request to love him and others?

Philippians 2:5-8

Romans 3:21-25

Our struggles are never pleasant. Instead, they are painful. Christianity is not about pushing through life as though nothing is wrong. Instead, we are given perseverance in knowing God is with us in the messiness of life to empower us to overcome all of life's obstacles. With the assurance of the promise of God to restore all things to their former glory.

2 Corinthians 4:8-9

No matter what anyone says about us or what happens to us, we are accepted and victorious when we give ourselves mentally, emotionally, and voluntarily to God through the work of Jesus of Nazareth.

1 Peter 1:8

John 15:11

A state of calm amid adversity that is not achievable on our own.

Psalm 23:4

Hope is assurance based on the revelation and promises given by God, who cannot lie and will never change, as revealed in the Bible.

Psalm 33:11

All I have is all I need. What I don't have, I must not need since God is good, just, and cares for me.

Philippians 4:12-13

Romans 8:28

God's moral law and commandments define what it means to be right with God.

1 Timothy 1:8-11

We all fall short of God's standards. Even if we did everything right moving forward, we could not correct our past misdeeds.

James 2:10

Because we have fallen short of God's standards, we need Jesus' sacrifice on the cross to pay our ransom of guilt and to accept Jesus' offer of His righteousness to be accounted to us. Hence, it is as if we have done nothing wrong and have done everything according to God's standards.

2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 1:30

How do you accept Jesus' ransom and righteousness? You trust Him. You understand you are incapable of meeting God's standards on your own. You trust who Jesus is and what He has done for you; therefore, by accepting Jesus' death and resurrection on your behalf, you have a restored relationship with God. You are a new creation!

How do you know if it worked? You receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit comes upon you, along with other reasons, as a guarantee of your restored relationship with God (Ephesians 1:14). Through the working of the Holy Spirit, you feel conviction when you fall short of God's standards and your desire is to be obedient to the will of God.

• Jesus predicted and accomplished His own resurrection (Matthew 12:38-40; John 2:18:22)
• Jesus was proven to be God by the resurrection (Romans 1:4)
• Five hundred verifiable eyewitnesses to his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:6)
• His followers never recanted but were beaten and martyred for their message (Act 5:40-42; 7:59-60)

Connect with another believer so they can come alongside you as you navigate living in a manner worthy of your restored relationship with God.

Ephesians 4:1

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