Is Jesusstill interested in us? What does it mean to have a personal relationshipwith Christ, and in what way does it impact our lives? And how does someonego about making that kind of commitment? Those are good questions, and typical of someone who understands thesignificance of Jesus. Here is some information to help answer these andother questions you may have about Jesus. Because of Jesus' resurrection, his followersdo not honor a dead founder They have a vital, personal relationship with him. Jesus Christ livestoday and faithfully enriches the lives of all those who trust and obeyhim. Throughout the centuries, multitudes have acknowledged the worthinessof Jesus Christ, including many who have greatly influenced the world. Frenchphysicist and philosopher Blaise Pascal spoke of people's need for Jesuswhen he said, "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man,which only God can fill through his Son Jesus Christ." You can! Because of God's deep love for you, he has already madeall the necessary arrangements. Through the death and resurrection of JesusChrist, you can enjoy a personal relationship. Jesus made it possible tobridge the chasm which separates us from God. The following four principleswill help you discover how to know Jesus personally and experience the abundantlife he promised. God LOVES you and created you to know Him personally John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and onlySon, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 17:3 "Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, theonly true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent." What prevents us from knowing God personally? Man is SINFUL and SEPARATED from God, so wecannot know Him personally or experience His love Romans 3:23 "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory ofGod." Romans 6:23 "The wages of sin is death" [spiritual separationfrom God]. Romans 8:6-8 "The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlledby the Spirit is life and peace; the sinful mind is hostile to God. It doesnot submit to God's law, nor can it do so. Those controlled by the sinfulnature cannot please God." A great gulf separates man from God. Man is continually trying to reachGod and establish a personal relationship with Him through human efforts,such as living a good life, philosophy, or religion. But he inevitably fails. The third principle explains the only way to bridge this gulf... Jesus Christ is God's ONLY provision for man'ssin. Through him alone we can know God personally and experience God's love Romans 5:8 "God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that whilewe were yet sinners, Christ died for us." 1 Corinthians 15:3-6 "Christ died for our sins... he was buried...he was raised on the third day according to the scriptures... he appearedto Peter, then to the twelve. After that he appeared to more than five hundred..." John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth and the life.No one comes to the Father except through me.'" God has bridged the gulf that separates us from Him by sending His Son,Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for oursins. But it is not enough just to know these truths... We must individually RECEIVE Jesus Christ asLord and Savior; then we can know God personally and experience His love John 1:12 "As many as received him, to them he gave the right tobecome children of God, even to those who believe in his name." Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace that you have been saved, throughfaith. This does not depend on anything you have achieved, it is the freegift of God; and because it is not earned no one can boast about it." Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (a spirit of repentance)and trusting Christ to come into our lives to forgive us of our sins andmake us what he wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that JesusChrist is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins is notenough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive JesusChrist by faith, as an act of our will. Jesus Christ is waiting for an invitation to come in to your life. Infact, he says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hearsmy voice and opens the door, I will come in" (Revelation 3:20). Perhaps you can sense Christ knocking at the door of your heart.You can invite him in by faith right now. God knows your heart so it doesn'tmatter exactly what words you use. Here's a suggested prayer: Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be. If this prayer expresses the desire of your heart, pray it right nowand Jesus Christ will come into your life just as he has promised. Onceyou invite Christ into your life, he promises to never leave you. Hebreww 13:5 "God has said, 'Never will I leave you; never willI forsake you.'" To know God personally is the greatest decision you will ever make. If you've just asked Jesus Christ into your life, visit the Feedback section and tell us about it. We would love to hear from you. This information in other languages Top of Page Copyright © 1997-2002 by Campus Crusade for Christ, Canada. All rights reserved. Scripture passages quoted from the New American Standard Bible, the NIV Bible, or the Living Bible. Download "Who is Jesus" for use on your site.