It's Personal

The Bible promises a place of eternal bliss for the righteous, a place where there will be no more pain or suffering,

"'He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death' or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." ¹

This will be a place where the Lord himself will live among his people, uncloaked, fully known, unbosomed,

"And the name of the city from that time on will be: 'THE LORD IS THERE'" ²

Yet none of us are righteous (in right standing with God) within ourselves. We may be self-righteous and hold a high estimation of our moral goodness and standing, but all of us have sinned against the Holy One, the Eternal God. And you may know that; you may have felt the pangs of guilt that come with the realization that within yourself you just cannot and do not reach the demands of a perfect God. We all sin; we all fail.

But the Most High requires nothing less than perfection for those who would dwell with him,

Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not trust in an idol or swear by a false god. ³

Yet he also desires to be with us; he longs for us to be with him,

And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴

And so, because of his great love for us and the longing with which he longs for us, he chose us and called us to himself, making a way through the ultimate sacrifice of all that was dear to him,

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ⁵

Now, a very important question: do you realize that he did this for you? Yes, you, the one reading this right now. This good news, the Gospel, is for you personally. No matter how unlovable or sinful or hopeless you may feel right now, this promise of eternal life, this invitation to play a part in redemption’s story, is personal. 

Scripture says of you and me,

Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ⁶

The Lord welcomes sinners, those who humbly realize they need a doctor and cannot heal themselves - those willing to turn away from their sin and self-righteousness and look to the one who died for them,

“Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other." ⁷

Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. ⁸

If you’ve never received Jesus, don’t put it off any longer, don’t try to get your act together first, he is waiting for whosoever will with open arms,

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord, ⁹

And if you do know him, if you have come to him and received him, be reminded even in the midst of all your distractions and busyness and let this truth draw you close to him:

What he did is personal

Yes, it’s personal 

What Jesus did

He did for you

References

¹ Revelation 21:4

² Ezekiel 48:35

³ Psalms 24:3-4

⁴ John 14:3

⁵ John 3:16

⁶ 1 Timothy 1:15

⁷ Isaiah 45:22

⁸ John 3:14-15

⁹ Acts 3:19