I’m James Dean… Yes, it is a cool name. No, my parents didn’t name me after him. No, I’m not dead. Yes, I will drive carefully. Yes, I have heard that before.
I’m a 40-something father of 4 who lives in the home counties in the United Kingdom. I don’t lead a particularly hard life, have never had a drink or drug habit, but do you know what? I need a saviour. That’s right, I’m a Christian. I’m a strikingly ordinary guy who struggles to balance his time between family, church and work, and I needed my sin dealt with. If nothing else, that one thing links you and me.
23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23)
When you talk about God, some people think there’s something wrong with you, that you’re a bit weird or else you’ve failed in some way. If you haven’t stopped reading already let me tell you that God is not just a crutch. He’s not just someone you fall back on because you’re weak and you can’t cope with life on your own. That would be like saying that your father is just some guy who ties your shoelaces in the morning. He may well do that, but that’s just one small part of his character.
I follow God because I know that if I do things my own way I’ll never achieve my greatest ambitions. I’ll never fulfil my potential because everything I do will be less for not having God at the centre of it. God didn’t design us to go it alone.
But I still struggle with things. I still get it wrong. I still fall. I still sin. We all do – it’s part of being human.
7Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:7-8)
I know that God loves me. I know that in spite of all I have done and undoubtedly will do, God sent His Son to die for me. That’s how much He loves me and that has changed my life.
Living in the light of God’s love for me is the way I’ve chosen to live and it’s what makes me tick. Want to know why I’m always happy and laid back? Why I don’t (usually) get stressed out by life? If you talk to me on the street it’s what you’ll hear in my words and it’s what you’ll see in what I do – I’m this way because of God’s love. And what’s great about it is it’s a free gift: you can have it too.
17The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let him who hears say, “Come!” Whoever is thirsty, let him come; and whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life. (Revelation 22:17)
Jesus is that water of life – come and drink.
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