Simple Salvation
By Michelle Rocker
The plan of salvation is so simple. It is so easy that young children can comprehend it. Unfortunately, sometimes it gets complicated and not explained in the straight forward easy way that Christ designed.
The easiest way I can explain it is how my little five year old daughter came to accept Christ in her heart. We were on our way to drop her off at her Pre-K class. Every morning she prayed before we arrived. Her prayers were just adorable, it made me smile.
“Dear Jesus, help me to be a good girl. Help me not to pee in my pants. Help me to clean up my center. Amen.”
If something happened at school that day, she would add it to her prayer the next morning.
“Dear Jesus, help me to be a good girl. Help me not to pee in my pants. Help me to clean up my center. Help me not to play guns. Amen.”
The next day, “Dear Jesus, help me to be a good girl. Help me not to pee in my pants. Help me to clean up my center. Help me not to play guns. Help me not get my name on the board. Amen.”
When I would pick her up, she would bounce into the van exclaiming how Jesus had helped her that day. Her innocent, unbendable faith was such a lesson for me.
One morning, we were headed to school, and right in the middle of her prayer, she asked me how did Jesus know how to help her. I explained that Jesus lives in our hearts, and asked her if Jesus lived in her heart. She said no, and expressed that she wanted to have Jesus live in her heart.
Being that her morning school prayer, and the “thank you for this food” prayer was all she knew, she said, “Mommy, can you help me pray it, ‘cause I don’t know what to say.”
I said, “Sure, honey. You repeat after me.”
I then prayed a prayer asking God to help me to pray in the simplest form. We started with her repeating each word.
“Dear, Jesus, I want you to come live in my heart. Help me to be a good girl. I don’t want to do bad things anymore. I love you, Jesus, and thank you for living in my heart.”
Tears fell as I heard her little voice, and glanced back to see her head down, her hands clasped, and the serious expression on her adorable face. After we finished, she looked up with shining eyes.
“Oh, Mommy, I’m so glad Jesus lives in my heart. That means he is with me all the time.”
I have had the pleasure of watching her put her complete hope in Jesus Christ.
In John 3, we meet a man named Nicodemus. The interesting thing about Nicodemus is that he would sneak out at night to meet with Jesus. He saw the hope that Christ brought, and wanted to know more, yet he was not fully committed. The amazing thing about Jesus: he meets you wherever you are.
In John 3:2-13, we learn about Nicodemus and Jesus conversation.
He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
Jesus talks about being “born again” and Nicodemus is very confused, even asking if Jesus meant a grown man crawling back into the womb of his mother. Salvation begins by becoming a child in your faith. When you ask Christ into your heart, you become a child of faith. You are born again in Christ.
Then in John 3:16-17, Jesus explains exactly what you must do to be saved. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
If you have asked Jesus into your heart and made that Jesus’ home, the Bible tells us that none of us will be homeless in heaven. He is building an amazing mansion for us all to live in.
John 14:1-3, Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is believing that he has forgiven all of your sin, and living a life of faith. It isn’t complicated. That is demonstrated by a little five year old girl’s prayer. She asked, she believed, and it was done!
By Michelle Rocker
The plan of salvation is so simple. It is so easy that young children can comprehend it. Unfortunately, sometimes it gets complicated and not explained in the straight forward easy way that Christ designed.
The easiest way I can explain it is how my little five year old daughter came to accept Christ in her heart. We were on our way to drop her off at her Pre-K class. Every morning she prayed before we arrived. Her prayers were just adorable, it made me smile.
“Dear Jesus, help me to be a good girl. Help me not to pee in my pants. Help me to clean up my center. Amen.”
If something happened at school that day, she would add it to her prayer the next morning.
“Dear Jesus, help me to be a good girl. Help me not to pee in my pants. Help me to clean up my center. Help me not to play guns. Amen.”
The next day, “Dear Jesus, help me to be a good girl. Help me not to pee in my pants. Help me to clean up my center. Help me not to play guns. Help me not get my name on the board. Amen.”
When I would pick her up, she would bounce into the van exclaiming how Jesus had helped her that day. Her innocent, unbendable faith was such a lesson for me.
One morning, we were headed to school, and right in the middle of her prayer, she asked me how did Jesus know how to help her. I explained that Jesus lives in our hearts, and asked her if Jesus lived in her heart. She said no, and expressed that she wanted to have Jesus live in her heart.
Being that her morning school prayer, and the “thank you for this food” prayer was all she knew, she said, “Mommy, can you help me pray it, ‘cause I don’t know what to say.”
I said, “Sure, honey. You repeat after me.”
I then prayed a prayer asking God to help me to pray in the simplest form. We started with her repeating each word.
“Dear, Jesus, I want you to come live in my heart. Help me to be a good girl. I don’t want to do bad things anymore. I love you, Jesus, and thank you for living in my heart.”
Tears fell as I heard her little voice, and glanced back to see her head down, her hands clasped, and the serious expression on her adorable face. After we finished, she looked up with shining eyes.
“Oh, Mommy, I’m so glad Jesus lives in my heart. That means he is with me all the time.”
I have had the pleasure of watching her put her complete hope in Jesus Christ.
In John 3, we meet a man named Nicodemus. The interesting thing about Nicodemus is that he would sneak out at night to meet with Jesus. He saw the hope that Christ brought, and wanted to know more, yet he was not fully committed. The amazing thing about Jesus: he meets you wherever you are.
In John 3:2-13, we learn about Nicodemus and Jesus conversation.
He came to Jesus at night and said, "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him." In reply Jesus declared, "I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” "How can a man be born when he is old?" Nicodemus asked. "Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother's womb to be born!" Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit." "How can this be?" Nicodemus asked. "You are Israel's teacher," said Jesus, "and do you not understand these things? I tell you the truth, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things?
Jesus talks about being “born again” and Nicodemus is very confused, even asking if Jesus meant a grown man crawling back into the womb of his mother. Salvation begins by becoming a child in your faith. When you ask Christ into your heart, you become a child of faith. You are born again in Christ.
Then in John 3:16-17, Jesus explains exactly what you must do to be saved. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
If you have asked Jesus into your heart and made that Jesus’ home, the Bible tells us that none of us will be homeless in heaven. He is building an amazing mansion for us all to live in.
John 14:1-3, Jesus says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.”
Becoming a follower of Jesus Christ is believing that he has forgiven all of your sin, and living a life of faith. It isn’t complicated. That is demonstrated by a little five year old girl’s prayer. She asked, she believed, and it was done!
copyright © 2008 Michelle Rocker. All rights reserved.