Dear friend,
I hope that this letter finds you doing well. Let me personally welcome you to CrossWind’s website. We’re sure thankful for it! It’s been a blessing to thousands of people through the years. But, hey, I know that your time is valuable, so I need to get right to the point.
Some years ago, I asked myself a question as to how I could best help the people that God brings across my path. Knowing that each is His divine appointment, I felt an obligation to be prepared to meet whatever need that would present itself. A while back, I was in a store shopping and a clerk “bumped into me.” We struck up some “small talk,” but then it progressed to where I realized that she had an aching heart. So, I spent a few moments assuring her of God’s kind and gracious provision for her hurt. I promised to pray for her and tried to leave; but she grabbed my arm and said, “Thank you so much for the blessing that you have given to me!” Needless to say, my own heart soared.
I don’t know what your particular needs are at this moment, but I do know of a need that we all have at some point. And that need is seen in one of the most basic questions of all time: “How can I be right with God?” But the question is aggravated by the fact of my sin: “How can I, a sinner, be right with God?”
That’s really something to think about, isn’t it? If our sin has separated us from our Maker then how can we be brought back to Him? The Bible says that “all are sinners and have fallen short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23) and that “the wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Hey, this is a big deal!
The good news is that the Bible is clear in its answer: “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:10) Man, isn’t God’s provision wondrous? You see, it might be possible for someone to die for another if that person was good, but how could it be that someone would die for a bad person? Here is the God of the universe-perfectly just and righteous and holy-who is willing to die for sinners like you and me! He who did no wrong took the sinner’s wrong upon Himself and paid the penalty that was due the sinner. That is a magnificent love!
As I said earlier, my desire has been to meet the needs of people that God brings into my life. And the Bible’s idea of love is, at its foundation, “meeting another’s needs!” So, the genuine and authentic “need-meeter” is Jesus “for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life!” (John 3:16)
Do you have a need that only Christ can meet? Like the dear woman in the store, your hurt may be very significant yet somewhat temporal. Christ is the answer for those pains. Simply call to Him.
And then there is that greatest of all needs-the necessity of being rightly related to God. Friend, is that where you’re at right now? The solution is, of course, Jesus Christ for He says, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life; and no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6) Your greatest need can be met only through Jesus Christ! Thus, my prayer is that you will come to Christ trusting in Him with all your heart; and, in humility and repentance, ask Him to forgive your sinfulness and sins. Then, seek to live a life that loves and respects Him. Hey, call out to Him; I promise you that He’s listening.
I hope that I have not offended you in this letter. You know, God has brought us together today with some purpose in mind–and I’m glad that He did! Thank you for blessing me. Perhaps, we will meet again–in this life or the next! May God’s grace and peace be with you. With all due love, loyalty, and respect,
2R
Copyright @ 2004CrossWind Ministry
