If He Can Forgive Me, He Can Forgive You

I sat with "Jake" today. He wanted some Christian literature to read. As we talked, he told me about some of the things he's done for which he felt guilty. "I haven't loved my family the way I should. Besides that, I'm in here because I stole some money to buy drugs. I want to change my life." I told him the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection and that He took our sins upon Himself.

As we continued to talk, I could tell that he didn't see a way that *he* could be forgiven. "Jake, do you feel like you don't deserve to be forgiven?" I asked. "Yeah," he replied. I told him that none of us deserves to be forgiven, and that we all deserve hell. I shared with him Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." He agreed that a "wage" is something you earn, but a "gift" is something freely given and received. I shared with him how when I was 14 years old, I hurt a relative of mine terribly. "On top of that," I told him, "I lied about it and carried the guilt for many years. After the Lord called me to be a pastor, He told me I needed to go back to the relative, repent of the hurt I caused and repent of lying to cover it up." I continued: "God forgave me, Jake, and if He forgave me, He can forgive you, too."

I kept urging him to receive the free gift of salvation and avoid the judgment to come. "I want to surrender my life to Him," he said finally. "Would you like to do it now?" "Yeah." Jake confessed his sins and acknowledged Jesus as his Lord and Savior. Pray that Jake would get grounded in the Word. Pray for healing for his mom who is currently in the hospital. Pray that God strengthens and comforts his family.