We receive Christ by personal invitation

Jesus Christ says, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him" (Revelation 3:20).

Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self and trusting Christ to come into our lives, to forgive us of our sins and to make us what he wants us to be. Just to agree intellectually that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and that he died on the cross for our sins is not enough. Nor is it enough to have an emotional experience. We receive Jesus Christ by faith, as an act of our free will.

We can choose two kinds of lives: the Self-Directed Life or the Christ-Directed Life.

A self-directed life is one where you are in charge of your life and Jesus Christ is outside your life. Your interests, plans and actions are directed by yourself, often resulting in discord with God's plan for you.

A Christ-directed life is one where Christ is in charge of your life and you yield to Him. Your interests, plans and actions are directed by Christ, resulting in harmony with God's plan.

Which of these two kinds of lives best represents your life at this time?

Which would you like to represent your life?

You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer.

Prayer is just talking with God. He knows your heart, so don't worry about getting your words just right. Here is a suggested prayer to guide you:

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 and receive you as my Saviour and Lord. Thank you for forgiving me of my sins and giving me eternal life. Take control of my life. Make me the kind of person You want me to be.

Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? If it does, pray this prayer right now, and Christ will come into your life as promised.

If you have done this, then congratulations! Luke 15:7 says that when one sinner accepts Jesus Christ as his or her Saviour the angels rejoice. So there's a party going on in heaven right now over your decision! Remember this date as your "second birthday," the day you were born into a new life in Christ! You have God's Word that he answered your prayer.

The Bible promises eternal life to all who receive Christ: "God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life" (1 John 5:11-13).

Thank God often that Christ is in your life and that he will never leave you (Hebrews 13:5). You can know on the basis of his promise that Christ lives in you and that you have eternal life from the very moment you invited Him in.