It is because of Jesus that we are now God’s friends.
The Bible says in Romans 5:8 that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.
This means we can come to God just as we are.
It doesn’t matter what bad things we have done in the past. He loves us anyway.
Jesus has already died for these sins. And because of this, God doesn’t remember our sins anymore.
This is called “Grace”. We gain something we don’t deserve. We give God our sinfulness and He gives us Jesus righteousness.
When we put our faith in Jesus, we are made right with God. And when we have been made right with God, He fills us with forgiveness, peace and joy.
While we are waiting for Jesus to return, we will still experience some hard times on the earth, but we are no longer alone in these hard times. God is with us, helping us, every step of the way.
He even uses these things to make us stronger and to build our character, so that we become more like Jesus. Right in the middle of these hard times, God gives us peace and hope.
When Jesus comes back and takes us to live with Him in Heaven, we will have the incredible privilege of ruling with Him.
How amazing is God’s gift to us!
How great is His love for us!