God's vision for your life and mine is that we know Him personally and are known by Him. He is passionate for this to happen. God created us to be like Him¹ because He intends for us to be with Him forever².

But ... our sin has separated us from God³. He often seems distant and we sometimes doubt that God exists because of that separation.

Worse than being separated, God's Law condemns us to die as sinners⁴. That is where our guilt and shame come from. That is why we feel that God couldn't possibly love or forgive us.

But this is the truth. God loves us so much that He sent Jesus Christ to die in our place⁵. Jesus paid the death penalty for our sins. This is how forgiveness and a reconciled friendship with God can be offered to us now.

And more than that, Jesus was raised from the dead. His resurrection not only demonstrated the fact that Jesus is God⁶, but it also shows us that He has provided the only way for us to know God⁷. This is why we can be "born again" -- made alive spiritually -- because He forgave us and because He alone can give us eternal life.

A healthy relationship with God can be defined by things like communication with Him, time spent in His presence, and looking after His kingdom while He looks after our needs. The Holy Spirit, who lives inside Christians, maintains this relationship we are talking about. He expresses God's character to us, His heart for us, and His will for our lives. And it is our responsibility to believe Him and obey Him every day. This response of belief and obedience to what the Holy Spirit initiates is called faith.

I am saved by faith when I confess that Jesus is my Lord and I believe that God raised Him from the dead⁸. And the Bible says that, once I have been made alive by the Holy Spirit, I am to live my life in the Holy Spirit⁹.

This is when God's vision for my life is being fulfilled.

1. Genesis 1:27;   2. Revelation 21:3;   3. Genesis 3:23 / Romans 5:12;   4. James 2:10 / Romans 1:32;

5. John 3:16;   6. Romans 1:4;   7. Romans 6:4;   8. Romans 10:9;   9. Galatians 5:25

© Eric Holmes Ministries, Inc.