Love. We use this word constantly, and rather lightly. I love that movie, I love this food, I love that car. But love has a deeper meaning. Think of the person, or people, you care the most about in the world—a boyfriend or girlfriend, a family member, a best friend. The affection you have for that person is so much more special and lasting. Love like this, love even better than this, is the love I want to tell you about: love that is stronger than anything and reaches to the core of who you are: God’s love.

God’s love is written on every page of the Bible. Every book is a love letter written directly to you. I confess, I didn’t always believe this. When I first started reading the Old Testament, I thought, “This sounds like judgment and wrath, not love.” But imagine that your boyfriend or girlfriend suddenly started to date someone else. You would be angry because you care so much about that person, and you want to spend all your time and dedication on that person—and have it reciprocated. That is the love the Old Testament—that is why God is called a jealous God—because He loves you so much that He doesn’t want you to spend your love on anything less worthy. He loves you so much that He will do anything to show it to you, even die.

Think of the eternal, immortal, all-powerful being that is God stepping down from Heaven to the confines of time and space, living in our world with all its hardships and limitations, only to die an excruciating death—that is a measure of God’s love for you. There is no greater love—to die just to win your heart. But more than that, He gives you life so that can you know him. Like a devoted lover, God showers gifts upon you as reminders of his love: unshakable peace, matchless hope, freedom from sin, spiritual understanding, special talents. From a sunny day to the salvation of your soul, God constantly gives you wonderful things out of His goodness.

I knew that, in my head. But it took years for me to realize that I don’t deserve that love. That I don’t somehow earn it, by being a good person or acting in a “Christian” way. Deep down I still thought that I was not good enough, and that He was disappointed in me for all the guilt I held inside. God showed me that He doesn’t see any of that. He sees me, the one He crafted so carefully and loves more than all the words in all the world can say. He sees the one He died to bring home, to enter into His heart.

God loves you. He loved you eons before you were ever born. He loved you before the creation of the universe. He loves you so deeply, so intimately. He made every part of you—your appearance, your personality, your talents—and you are beautiful in His sight. He has loved you for eternity past and will love you for eternity future. No matter what you do, no matter how you think you’ve failed, God will never stop loving you. He will never love you any less.

God does not need you to earn His love. He has already given it, and He will never take it back. But when you accept His love, when you recognize Him as your true Father, the Lover of your soul, Creator and Savior, then “neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate you from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Open your heart, “to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

God loves you.

God loves you.

God loves you.

I challenge you to know in your heart, not just in your head, how vast, unchanging, and sincere God’s love is for you. Ask God to show you—He delights in caring for those He loves.

In much the same way, a Christian is a soldier in the cause of advancing Christ’s kingdom. He or she is committed to giving everything to that cause. But what does this look like? How can Christians really live their lives for God? What does it take? What is expected?

Living a Life for God Means Learning the Bible.

You are not left without answers. The entire Christian belief system and lifestyle requirements are summed up in one book—the Bible. God’s Word is living and powerful (Hebrews 4:12). It has the power to change your life as you remain obedient and submissive to it. Don’t neglect the touchstone of faith—the Bible. It is God’s love letter to you. It is your source of answers. It is the solution to life’s complexities. The Bible is God’s Word. Living for God means learning that precious book.

Living a Life for God Means Total Life Commitment.

Do you know what it’s like to live life in total abandon to one central consuming cause? That’s the Christian life. A doctor is committed to saving lives and healing bodies. A lawyer is committed to winning cases and defending justice. An athlete is committed to winning games and breaking records. A Christian is committed to passionately knowing God and giving every part of his or her life to God.

Living life for God means that you surrender to God every area of your life. If you are a student, study for God. If you are a friend, be a friend for God. Live life for God in the details. In conversation, are you making God a part of what you talk about? If you spend time on the Internet, are you involved in Internet student evangelism or some other Internet student ministries? Is there some way that you are involved in college evangelism?

If God is part of your life at all, He must be all of your life. When God called His disciples, He wasn’t calling them on a part-time job or to volunteer service on the weekends. He was asking for complete life commitment. That’s why Peter and John totally forsook their secular occupation. That’s why Luke left a lucrative white-collar job to follow the Rabbi. That’s why each of the disciples followed Christ to the very end—even when it ended in martyrdom.

Living a Life for God Means Sharing This Life with Others.

True life for God is not a private event. Life for God is lived out loud, on full display to everyone who watches. As Jesus commanded before He left the earth, “go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). Paul, one of the finest examples of someone who lived his life for God, was thrown in jail for his faith. Even there, he could say, “It has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ.” Nothing stopped him. Everyone knew. Do your friends know that you are a Christian? When people are around you for any amount of time, do they get the idea that you are living your life for God?

Life lived for God is not life lived in a toilsome bondage to a cruel taskmaster. Life lived for God is the only truly fulfilling way to live. (Matthew 11:29b-30: …for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy and My burden is light.) God calls us and He equips us, investing us with joy, power, and true fulfillment to live in total abandon to the glorious cause! Meditate on the Word of God, surrender every detail of your life to the will of God, and live in such a way that your commitment is unmistakable, contagious, and glorifying to God.

This awesome God is capable of working miracles. A study of God and miracles and the principles of Christianity reveals that there have been three ages of concentrated miracles: the Exodus, the prophetic ministry of Elijah and Elisha, and Jesus’ life and inauguration of the church. But as we reviewed in the list of God’s attributes above, God is amazingly powerful. No one can say that miracles are not happening today. Why would God work miracles? For believers? For nonbelievers? Let’s dig into the biblical information on God and miracles and find out if miracles are for believers or nonbelievers.

Faith and Miracles During the Exodus

During the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, God worked a lot of miracles. Beginning with God changing Moses’ staff into a snake, to the falling of manna, to water from the rock, and to the parting of the Red Sea, God was busy performing miracles. Who were these miracles for? First of all, they were for Israel. That should be obvious. God also worked miracles to impress people who were definitely not believers. Exodus 9:14 tells us that God sent plagues and worked miracles in order to tell Pharaoh, definitely an nonbeliever, that Yahweh was God alone. Thus, God worked miracles for believing Israel and for nonbelieving Pharaoh.

God and Miracles During the Ministry of Elijah and Elisha

Many miracles occurred during the ministry of two special prophets in Israel’s history—Elijah and Elisha. In God’s power, they did things like multiply food, raise people from the dead, pray fire down from heaven, divide rivers, strike people with blindness, and heal dying people. Why? For believers? In many cases, yes. But consider the very first miracle of Elijah—praying down a drought upon the land (1 Kings 17:1). That miracle was definitely for the wicked King Ahab and for the sins of unbelieving Israelites. Even Elijah’s biggest miracle—that of praying down fire upon a sacrifice—was a grand display for the nation’s false prophet club (1 Kings 18). Again, we see that the main spectators of these miracles were people who were nonbelievers, God-haters, and false prophets.

Miracles During Jesus’ Ministry and the Early Church

The next stage of miracle-intensive activity that we read about is during the life of Jesus and during the early church. Miracles were happening all the time from the hand of Jesus and then through the ministry of Peter, Paul, and other apostles. Perhaps one of Jesus’ most notable miracles was raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11). The biggest fallout from this miracle came from Jesus’ most ardent enemies—the Pharisees. For the most part, the Pharisees, even though they were religious, did not believe in Jesus at all. They were nonbelievers, and Jesus worked miracles often to their extreme anger. At the very beginning of the church, the Day of Pentecost, the disciples came out from hiding and started speaking in tongues. With this miraculous gift of communicating to everyone in their own native tongue, the apostles preached to thousands of people. Again, in this situation, the miracles were for nonbelievers.

What is the Ultimate Reason that God Works Miracles?

Ultimately, He wants to bring glory to Himself. He may do that to spread His fame to believers, but He may put His character on display to nonbelievers, too. No, nonbelievers are not miracle workers, but as nonbelievers see God work miracles, they get a perspective of the greatness of God. Those attributes of God, those core principles of Christianity, are on display when nonbelievers witness God’s miraculous work.

This is what we were created for: to glorify God. In the beginning we were in perfect relationship, but we dug a great trench by means of our sin, and Jesus died so that we could come back into a relationship with the Father, and be with Him forever.

John 3:16-17 says, “God loved us in this way, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.”

The passage goes on to talk about judgment and redemption Catch this missing part of most of our John 3:16 evangelism: “He who belives in Him is not judged, he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifesting as having been wrought in God.”

Picture this: the Lord of the Rings orcs, fleeing from the light of Gandalf’s staff. Or how the cover of darkness proceeds them because they do not want to come into the light. Like cockroaches fleeing from the beams of a flashlight or the burning light of a lamp. So are those who remain in the world. They hate the light. Why? Because it reveals truth, it reveals who they are, it reveals their sin and their selfishness. It reveals the vileness of the world.

But the passage goes deeper and darker than the images of lovers of darkness fleeing from the light. It talks about judgment. Those who hate the light will be judged, and those who love it will be given mercy.

Christians this is a dark image. Most of our world will hide from the light. Most of the world will be judged because they did not come to the Light that is Jesus. It’s what the Bible says.

So what’s the solution? Well, what was Jesus’ purpose? “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.” Christians, that was His purpose, if we desire to be conformed to His image, should that not be our purpose as well? Save the world, ladies and gentlemen, and do it through being faithful to Jesus commands–do it through going into the world and spreading the good news of Jesus’ sacrifice–do it through making disciples of all nations.

A Relationship Takes Time:  Spend Time with Him.
One of the reasons why a relationship with God is so simple is because it is a relationship. And, like other relationships, it involves time. Think of it like this. You see an attractive girl on campus. You want to get to know her; you want to build a relationship. There is no way you will build a relationship without actually first meeting her and then spending a lot of time with her. That’s what a relationship takes: first meet, then spend time. In the case of the attractive girl, you just hope that she’ll want to spend time with you. In the case of God, you must first meet Him in salvation. Then, you must spend time with Him. A relationship is going to take time. A relationship is not built on an afterthought, a Sunday morning church appearance, or even a desperate “Help me out, God!” prayer before an exam. A relationship takes time.

A Relationship is Built on Knowledge:  Get to Know Him.
Like any other relationship, you must gain knowledge of the other person. God has given us an entire book—a pretty long book—that is all about Himself. In the Bible, we have everything that God wants us to know about Him. Here is where we find the truth about God. Here is where we build our beliefs about God. The Bible is all about God, and we can get to know Him by reading and meditating upon His Word.

A Relationship is Built on Intimacy:  Be Open with Him.
A relationship is never a one-way street. You can do all the talking in the world, but if the other person never responds, you will not get to know that other person. It takes some back-and-forth. God reveals Himself to us in the Bible. We must commit ourselves to God in prayer. We should confess our sins. We should give our concerns, anxieties, and worries to God. God asks from us openness, intimacy, and complete disclosure. He is the one Person whom you can trust with every one of your concerns—and you should. He can take care of them.

A Relationship is Built on Love:  Love Him with Everything You Are.
The Bible tells us that the greatest command is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). Therein is the essence of a true relationship: mutual love. God loves you. That is where the relationship had its beginning. Now, the relationship can flourish as you love God with everything you are.

A relationship with God isn’t a formulaic step-by-step process. There’s nothing mechanical or formal about it. Like any other relationship, it takes time, knowledge, disclosure and love. But unlike other human relationships, God never disappoints. Your relationship with God is the most precious, most rewarding, and most exciting relationship you can ever experience.

Does this sound kind of typical? It is a self-confession of what my prayers sometimes sound like. All too often, prayer degenerates into a recitation of cliché phrases, and thoughtless requests. Fervent intercession and passionate praying just aren’t the experience of the average Christian. Sometimes, a weak prayer life is simply due to the fact that we don’t know how to pray to Jesus. The best way to learn is by asking Jesus himself. Jesus’ disciples decided to ask him one day. “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1). Here is what Jesus taught them.

Understanding the Prayer
Luke 11:2-4, along with its parallel passage in Matthew 6:9-13, is commonly known as “The Lord’s Prayer.” Jesus was not teaching his disciples a strict liturgy to memorize and repeat, though there is nothing wrong at all with reciting the prayer. Rather, he was providing a pattern for how to pray to Jesus.

Father, hallowed be your name.
The prayer begins with a tender familial appeal to God as our father. Notice that the first request is not a request for health, or for earthly provision. It is a God-focused request, appealing that His name be honored and revered. The prayer is devoted to glorifying God.

Your kingdom come.
The request, “Your kingdom come,” has two meanings. In the first place, the request is that God’s sovereign rule be advanced in people’s hearts. After all, one aspect of Jesus’ kingdom was its internal reign—a kingdom that existed in people’s hearts. Second, it is a request for the ultimate establishment of the kingdom that Jesus inaugurated by His coming. Christians today still look forward to that day.

Give us each day our daily bread.
There is nothing at all wrong with asking Jesus for material provisions. “Daily bread” includes physical needs. Obviously, it does not confine us to praying only for literal bread. The request can be for a steady job, reliable transportation, a shelter over our heads, healing from sickness, a restored friendship, success on a test, or any of the other needs that we face.

Forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation.
Since Jesus is teaching this prayer to his disciples—people who had already accepted his forgiveness of sins—this request has to do with continual confession of sin. We recognize our propensity to sin and the constant temptations we face. Thus, we should ask Jesus: “Please forgive my sin.” The request regarding temptation can be interpreted something like this: “Jesus please keep me away from those circumstances that tempt me to sin.”

There is nothing magical, formulaic, or incredibly difficult about praying to Jesus. You can learn how to pray to Jesus by reading this prayer and by adapting it into your own daily life. He will answer your prayers.

Jesus is the most important person of all time. As Christians, we ought to know as much as we can about him. Knowing Jesus Christ means living as He lived. Knowing Jesus means following in His footsteps. What are some of the most important facts about Jesus Christ?

He is really God.
One of the most fundamental, and most-often misunderstood facts about Jesus Christ is that He is God. This fact is known as “the deity of Christ.” Early sects from two thousand years ago and even the liberals of today have tried to deny that Jesus is God. The deity of Christ is an extremely important doctrine. If Jesus was not God, his death on the cross would have been useless. A mere man could not have atoned for the world’s sin.

For further study: John 1; Hebrews 1:8; John 20:28; Psalm 45:6-7; Romans 10:9; John 5:25; Colossians 1:17

He is eternal.
Once Jesus’ deity is accepted, there is no confusion regarding other facts about Jesus Christ. One of those facts is his eternality. Big word, simple meaning. Eternality means that Jesus never had a beginning and he will never have an end. “Eternal” is a concept that our human minds have trouble grasping. Some may think, “but I thought Jesus was born. How could he be eternal?” It is true that we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, but that is the point at which he was born as a human, not when he actually began. Jesus existed eternally before he came to earth to live as a man.

For further study: John 1:1; 8:58; Hebrews 1:8; Isaiah 9:6; 1 Corinthians 8:6

He is really Man.
Although Jesus is really God, he is also really man. Here is one of the baffling paradoxical truths of Christianity. Jesus is fully God and fully man. Jesus becoming a human is known as the “incarnation,” a word that means “in flesh.” The fact of Christ’s humanity brings up a closely related issue regarding his birth. He was virgin born. This truth establishes Christ’s sinlessness, discussed in the next point. Because Jesus was really man, he understands the temptations we face, the pain we feel, the grief we experience, and the life we live. He is a man.

For further study: 1 John 3:5; 4:2; Matthew 1:2-15; John 19:1, 18, 28; Luke 2:52.

He is totally sinless.
The only human experience that Jesus cannot relate to is that of actually giving into temptation and sinning. Jesus is entirely sinless. Christ had a real human will, and faced real temptation to sin, but he never gave in. His sinlessness allowed him to take upon himself the sins of the world when he did on the cross.

For further study: Matthew 4; Mark 8; Hebrews 4:15; 13:8; John 2:26

There are more than just these four facts about Jesus Christ. For example, consider the multiple prophecies of Jesus throughout the Old Testament scriptures, the miracle-working ministry he had on earth, His crucifixion on the cross, the resurrection from the dead, and His ascension into heaven are all vital components of this amazing person we know as Jesus Christ.

At its core, Christianity is very simple. As an effort to get back to the basics and reiterate the principles of Christianity, here are the five components that form the bedrock basis of Christianity. They are beautifully complex, but wonderfully simple. They are the fundamental principles of Christianity.

The Bible is God’s inspired, inerrant Word.
Christianity starts with the Bible. We have no other source for our faith than God’s Word. We call it the “Word,” because God spoke it—“inspiration.” Since God wrote the Bible, we can be confident that it is totally free from any error in its original form. That’s a book worth believing in, and that forms the most important of the principles of Christianity.

Jesus is God.
Another nonnegotiable principle of Christianity is the fact that Jesus is God. Jesus Himself declared that He was God, and His life on earth testifies to that fact. This truth is known as “the deity of Christ.” Ever since the beginning of Christianity, scholars, thinkers, and even heretics have tried to figure out how God can also be man. Though it is difficult to fathom, it is an inescapable biblical truth. Without Christ’s deity, there is no true atonement.

Jesus was born of a virgin.
In the Christmas song, “Silent Night,” we sing “’Round yon virgin, Mother and Child.” Have you ever stopped to think about what the song is saying? It draws attention to the fact that this “virgin,” Mary, is also a “mother” and has a “Child.” This is baffling to our science-fixated generation that recognizes that virgin births are biologically impossible. Yet God worked a miracle in the birth of Jesus, and allowed a virgin to become pregnant and give birth to Jesus. This forms a touchstone of Christianity, because it means that Jesus was not affected with a sin nature.

Jesus died on the cross for our sins.
Among the principles of Christianity, none is so glorious or beautiful as the death of Christ on our behalf. In theological terms, it is called the “substitutionary atonement.” What this means is that we, sinful mankind, deserve death for our sins. But God, in love, sent Jesus—the sinless Man—to bear our sins in His own body, and to die in our place. Because He is God, He could take the sins of the world. By having faith in His sacrifice for us, we can be saved.

Jesus rose from the dead and will someday return to the earth.
One day, Jesus will return to the earth again. We learn from the Bible that He is going to set up an earthly kingdom, and rule over all mankind. At that time, every knee will bow to Him, and recognize His infinite sovereignty.

Christianity is complex, but it doesn’t need to be bewildering. A belief in the Bible, and the core facts of Jesus are what gives legitimacy to our faith, and fulfillment to our lives.

What happened? Coincidence? Chance? No. This is just one simple true-life anecdote that could be combined with hundreds more in which Christians have experienced God’s healing power in direct answer to prayer. Believers have experienced God’s amazing healing of cancer, disease, and other terminal illnesses. There is healing power in prayer. But it’s not just experiential evidence that proves this fact. It’s God’s Word.

What the Bible Says
James 5:14-15 tells us this: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

The Problem:  Sickness
The passage makes it clear that one problem people face is sickness. Not much has changed in the 2,000 years since James wrote his letter. We still experience sickness, even though modern medicine has been able to mitigate many of the diseases and symptoms we experience.

The Solution: Prayer
The spiritual advice the Bible prescribes for sickness is prayer. First, the sick person calls for the leadership of the church. The leaders attend to the sick person. The action that they take here is very important. The main verb is to “pray over him.” The anointing with oil, an accompanying action, is a recognized symbolic act. Based on other New Testament symbolism, we understand that the anointing oil symbolizes the power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:18, Acts 10:38).

The Manner: Faith
Faith is an important component of prayer. Verse 15 tells us that “the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick.” Often, praying can degenerate into a mere wish list of what we want. Prayer is far more. Prayer is an act of faith in an all-powerful God. The prayer for healing is a prayer of faith.

The Result: Healing
What is the result of praying for the sick person’s healing? Answered prayer. The Bible states it in terms of a fact—“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up.”

God does heal people. Prayer is the means. While we must not expect God to adhere to our desire that He heal every occasion of sickness that we experience, we must not neglect prayer altogether. The Bible commands it, and prayer does work.

There is no right or wrong answer to those questions, unless you lie. They are simply thought-provoking questions which Christian young people should think about from time to time. God urges believers to exemplify a certain kind of lifestyle. He doesn’t state it explicitly in terms of the kind of clothes that you wear or the type of music you listen to. He states it in terms of conformation vs. transformation. In Romans 12:2, it sounds like this:  “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.”

When someone gives his or her life to Jesus, change immediately takes place. It is a change so powerful, so deep, that the Bible calls you a totally new person after becoming a true Christian (Ephesians 4:24). Becoming a believer affects the way we think (Phil 4:8), the way we talk (Ephesians 4:31-32) and the way we spend our time (Colossians 4:5). Everything changes.

Making Jesus a part of your life is simply a matter of following Him, obeying His Word, and depending upon His grace. No amount of effort, action, or following a set of rules will make you any better. Nonetheless, there are some practical ways that you can make Jesus part of your life.

1—Daily Bible Reading
A friend is someone you talk with, listen to, and have a conversation with. Is God your friend? If so, you ought to be listening to Him. The way to listen to God is through His Word. He wrote this powerful book, the Bible, and you can make Jesus part of your life by reading what He has to say in the Bible. Studying and meditating upon the Bible is one of the most powerful means to becoming more like Jesus in the way that you act, talk, and think.

2—Daily Prayer
Prayer is powerful. Prayer works. God speaks to us through the Bible, and He asks us to speak to Him in prayer. In fact, we are to be praying constantly (1 Thessalonians 1:2). Prayer is the God-given means of making requests, expressing our thanksgiving, and asking for help. Prayer is crucial. Don’t neglect it.

But prayer is deeper than speaking to God, it’s communion with Him–like a conversation. God asks us to be in constant prayer–talking to Him and listening to the things He will speak to us. Talking with God is crucial; both listening and speaking. Train yourselves to be quiet and silence life around you so you can listen to God, and simply wait on Him in His presence.

3—Regular Church Attendance
Church doesn’t make you a better person. Still, church attendance is an important way of life for the believer. By attending a Bible-teaching, God-honoring church, we are benefit from corporate worship, experience fellowship with other believers, and hear teaching from God’s Word.

Jesus is not an optional add-on for the believer’s life. Everything we do is for Him. By incorporating these core practices in your life, you are making a statement to others, to yourself, and to Jesus Himself that He is important—He is part of your daily life, but more is required.