“And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and him crucified.” – 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

It could be said that the Apostle Paul was the most religiously schooled person of all the apostles. He learned under highly regarded Jewish leaders, read and memorized many of the scriptures, but to use his words, he counted all of this as garbage when compared to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. To Paul, Jesus was the one and only thing worth knowing.

We, too, should have that aim in our lives. This world can be a tough one at best. We are bombarded daily by temptations and evils of all kinds, and if we don’t have our eyes focused on the right things, we can easily succumb to the devil’s wicked ways. In short, keep your eyes on Jesus. We can try to be good people and we can even try to be as religious as possible, but unless we have Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are fighting a loosing battle.

Don’t get me wrong, church and religion is a good thing, but it cannot be the only thing in your life. You can be a regular at Bible study and may be able to spout off hundreds of verses at will, but my question is, “Are you living those verses?” The Bible is an important book; really, it is THE most important book. That being said, it is only a collection of words and stories without the Holy Spirit helping you along. If you have not accepted Christ and His finished work on the cross, you do not have the “necessary equipment” yet to really understand what the Bible has to say. It all starts with Jesus Christ.

No level of supposed holiness can save your soul. No matter what anyone says, paying massive amounts of money to a church will not give you eternal life or get you a better seat in heaven. Positive thinking is a good thing, but it can’t get you into heaven either. Facing east five times daily or hopping up and down on one foot singing kumbaya doesn’t get the attention of God any faster. The one and only bridge between God and man is the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ was born of a virgin, suffered and died on the cross, was buried and raised from the dead to remove your sins so you can get into Heaven. Strive to know that truth more than anything else. If you have accepted that, you have been born again and are destined for Heaven. There’s a lot of other details to this life, but they are just that, details. Jesus Christ is the source, the center, and the summit of life. Jesus alone saves us and not the details.

Throughout eternity, God spoke but one word, “Jesus.” He has nothing more to say.

God’s blessings to you.

DH