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9. Receive Christ, the Light of the World, by Faith
Before His death Jesus warned His disciples against following Him in a traditional sense without commitment, but urged them to exercise sound faith so that their lives would be renewed. He said to them:
Dear Reader, if you want the Spirit of Christ to come into you, follow Jesus. Open your heart to His word. If you do, His eternal power, peace and righteousness will truly flood your life. In Christ alone you will find the true path, because He proclaimed the truth about Himself when He said:
In every time and place there are deluding lights that shine. They flash for a while, then they vanish. Of one thing you may rest assured: Jesus is the only one, who truly loves you. Without Him you remain lonely and lost, without hope, awaiting eternal flames. But if you want to leave the darkness of this world, and long to be free from sin and its bonds, come to Jesus and He will grant you heavenly strength. If you believe in this unique Savior, reject every teaching, creed and false affiliation, which opposes His will.
You may ask us: How can I believe in Christ, when I do not know Him well? We would reply: Study His life in the Gospel and you will know Him. Examine His words and ponder them deeply.
Walk beside Him on the way, consider His actions. Speak to Him in prayer, as you would to a faithful friend. He knows you and listens to you. He is keen to answer your prayers, because He loves you personally. He will not fail you nor forsake you, for that is His eternal purpose:
We encourage you to place your hand in the hand of Christ and make a covenant with Him for time and eternity. He is willing to lead, counsel, protect, strengthen and keep you so you will experience His love and His true and faithful promises. Then you will appreciate what David the prophet realized when he wrote:
Faith in Christ is not merely intellectual knowledge, but a decision involving a heartfelt and final commitment to entrusting your life to Him. When you follow Christ, you will experience His power, love and peace which passes knowledge.
You will also experience that total submission to your Redeemer will illuminate your life and make you a son of light. Faith is not just feeling, that is, to feel that the Lord is inside you. It is above all submitting your life to Him, believing that He has accepted you and that you have become His child. In His steadfast love He promised that whoever opens His heart to Him will receive eternal life.
In case you don’t know how to speak to Christ, who rose from the dead, or if you wonder how to entrust your life to Him, we have written a prayer of surrender for you, which you can repeat in your own words. Pray thus with us:
Dear Reader, be assured that the Lord Jesus has heard your prayer, not because you are just or religious, but on the contrary because you are a lost sinner. Speak to God your Father and tell Him all the details of your life. Thank Him for all His blessings and guidance to you. Commit the control of your life to Him and read His Word daily. You will receive heavenly strength day by day. His creative words will renew you and change the course of your life. You will become meek and humble in following Jesus’ example.