My 65th Birthday Letter
January 17, 2022
My name is Lorna; I had my 65th Birthday in December 2021 and I can not believe how quickly this time has passed! It is just a speck of time in comparison to eternity. This makes me think more often of my ‘expiration date’, the one I have, the one we all have coming eventually. When I think of this, it is not with a sense of fear or dread but with a sense of joy and anticipation that I will be meeting Jesus, the One who has made my assurance of Heaven possible.
I would love to tell you how I know that I will be with Jesus when my time comes and how you can also know this.
God created us to be with Him.
As the book of Genesis tells us in the Bible, God created the universe and the earth and all living things including the first man Adam and his wife Eve. They were to take care of the Garden and God was with them every day in person. He gave them only one command and that was that they must not eat of a certain tree in the garden. God also gave them a warning about disobeying this one command, that they would surely die if they ate of it. Having free will, they chose to eat of this fruit and sin and death entered into our world.
As a result of Adam and Eve’s sin we are all born with a sinful nature, and we inherited it from Adam.
Romans 5:12 says “Sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people. ” Every one of us was affected by Adam’s sin; there are no exceptions. Romans 5:18 has bad news and also the very BEST news! It says: “Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.
That one righteous person is Jesus!
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son, that whoever (that includes Lorna and you) believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
Our sins separate us from God but God has made a way for us to be righteous in His sight.
Romans 3:23 tells us that: Everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
Since we are not able to meet God’s perfect standard then where does that leave us? Consider this conversation that Jesus had with a Jewish religious leader:
John 3: 1-7 “ There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent you to teach us. Your miraculous signs are evidence that God is with you.” Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.” “What do you mean?” exclaimed Nicodemus. “How can an old man go back into his mother’s womb and be born again?” Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives birth to spiritual life. So don’t be surprised when I say, ‘You must be born again.’
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
SINS cannot be removed or overlooked by good deeds can they?
I know that there is nothing that I have done or can do to deserve eternal life. By nature I am sinful and I must receive the righteousness of Christ to enter Heaven. The great news is Jesus paid for my sin:
Romans 3:24 Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins.
Ephesians 2: 8,9 tells us that: Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
PAYING the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again.
Romans 6:23 says: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Hebrews 9:28 tells us that: Christ was offered once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him.
Mark 16:5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked, but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.”
EVERYONE who trusts in Him alone has eternal life.
Acts 3:19 says: Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away.
Acts 26:20 says: I preached first to those in Damascus, then in Jerusalem and throughout all Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that all must repent of their sins and turn to God—and prove they have changed by the good things they do.
LIFE with Jesus starts now and lasts forever.
Romans 10:9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
1 John 5:13 says: I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.
Romans 10:10 “For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
One of my favorite verses is:
Ephesians 2:10 “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”
I love it because it reminds me that I am not just one of billions of people who have lived on this earth. I am unique, God created me for work that He had planned for me long before I was born!
Amazing! It gives my life meaning, purpose and surety of God’s love for me. You can know the same because the same is true for you!
So though we are not saved by good works, we were created for doing good works.
Romans 10:13 “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
So, these verses all confirm that I do not have to wonder about my destiny when my ‘expiration date’ arrives! And neither do you! This is all GREAT news, THE BEST NEWS we can ever have as the world continues to become more and more challenging to live in. The diagrams below summarize the verses I shared about the plan of God’s salvation of mankind for all who will receive his free gift of forgiveness and redemption.
A couple questions we can ask ourselves to help discern whether we believe and trust the Gospel that Jesus taught are these:
- Do you know for sure that you are going to be with God in heaven when your expiration date arrives?
- If God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My heaven?” What would you say?
2 Peter 3:9 says that: The Lord is not slow to keep his promise. He is not slow in the way some people understand it. Instead, he is patient with you. He doesn’t want anyone to be destroyed. Instead, he wants all people to turn away from their sins.
He wants all of us to have the assurance of salvation here and now and we can if we put our trust in His Word and become a child of God. This is the GOSPEL, the Good News in God’s Holy Word, the Bible.
If you are ready to receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you can simply talk to God, our Father in your own words or use these words:
Lord Jesus, for too long I’ve kept you out of my life. I know that I am a sinner and that I cannot save myself. No longer will I close the door when I hear you knocking. By faith I gratefully receive your gift of salvation. I am ready to trust you as my Lord and Savior. Thank you, Lord Jesus, for coming to earth. I believe you are the Son of God who died on the cross for my sins and rose from the dead on the third day. Thank you for bearing my sins and giving me the gift of eternal life. I believe your words are true. Come into my heart, Lord Jesus, and be my Savior. Amen.
If you have prayed this prayer in sincere faith, you may want to put your initials by the prayer along with today’s date as a reminder that you have come to Christ in faith, trusting him as your Lord and Savior.
I would love to hear from anyone who has questions or has concerns that I can pray for.
Love, Grace & Peace…..Lorna
