A Daily Chance to Believe

An offering of truth to those who are searching.

June 28, 2005

My Grandfather's Heart

My Grandfather was a simple preacher from the Carolina hills. He had little formal education and much wisdom. He loved to use good music to show the truths of the world. He was a police officer for the Atlanta Police department and held the practice of bringing those he arrested home for a hot meal before he took them to jail. He would share his fried chicken, biscuits, and sweet tea with them. Then we would offer them the opportunity to share Jesus Christ as well. This hymn was one of his favorite hymns and he often quoted it to those on their way to prison.


Come Ye Sinners Poor and Needy - by Joseph Hart


Come, ye sinners, poor and needy,
Weak and wounded, sick and sore;
Jesus ready stands to save you,
Full of pity, love and pow'r;

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

Come, ye needy, come and welcome;
God's free bounty glorify;
True belief and true repentance,
Ev'ry grace that brings you nigh,

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

Let not conscience make you linger
Nor of fitness fondly dream;
All the fitness He requireth
Is to feel your need of Him:

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

Come, ye weary, heavy laden,
Bruised and broken by the fall;
If you tarry till you're better,
You will never come at all:

I will arise and go to Jesus
He will embrace me in His arms
In the arms of my dear Savior,
O, there are ten thousand charms

See Him Prostate in the garden
On the ground your Maker lies
On the bloody tree, behold him
Sinner, will this not suffice?"

Lo! th'incarnate God ascended,
Pleads the merit of His blood;
Venture on Him, venture wholly,
Let no other trust intrude;

I will arise and go to Jesus,
He will embrace me in his arms
In the arms of my dear Savior
Oh there are ten thousand charms

June 27, 2005

A Simple Plan

Greetings,

this is your opportunity to get an honest answer to the question of what Jesus Christ is all about. I am not promoting a religion or a church. I am asking you to consider honestly who Jesus Christ is and what it means to your life. I will lay out some simple truths and a few guidelines for discussion. You may email me with questions at aramisthorn@aramisthorn.com

Guidelines:

01)No question is out of bounds provided it is asked with honesty and openness.
02)None of my answers will be trite or simplistic; I promise to give the reasoning behind my answers.
03)I will not engage in arguments, but will present the truth about Jesus Christ and what it means to have a relationship with him.
04) I will treat the Bible as authoritative and view it as my primary source for answers to questions.

Some Simple Truths

* God is Holy and Righteous (He is pure and he only does what is right).
* Every living person has chosen at some point to reject doing what is right even if it is just littering or telling a "white" lie.
* That single act is enough to make us unholy in God's site and separate us from him.
* Even in our unholy state, God loves us and longs to have a rich and fulfilling relationship with us.
* The only way to reach this relationship was for someone who never acted against God's wishes to take the penalty for our unholiness.
* Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
* Jesus voluntarily chose to pay the penalty for our unholiness by being crucified.
* After Jesus died he rose from the dead as evidence that God accepted his payment for our unholiness.
* All that God requires of us is that we accept, by having faith, believing that we cannot pay our own penalty and that Jesus has paid the penalty for us.

The Bible says it this way: "By Grace you have been saved through faith; not by your self but by a gift from God. It is not by your good deeds, because then you could boast." Ephesians 2:8,9

All you need to do to begin an eternal relationship with the loving God of the Universe is believe that he has paid the price for your unholiness by the death of his own Son, Jesus. There is nothing that you can do to earn favor with God, but he wants to give you his favor because of what Jesus has already done. Think of it as a gift, already paid for and wrapped up that you need only accept and open.

You can talk to God like you would any other person and tell him that you accept what Jesus has already done for you and that you want to begin a relationship with him. If you do that, I would really like to know about it.

Wishing you joy in the journey,

Aramis Thorn