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Oh my, this thread has gone off on so many tangents! I would like to comment on the OP's original post in as simplistic a way as I can.
I believe that the "good news" is that by asking Jesus to live in your heart, you are acknowledging His sacrifice and claiming His forgiveness of your sins and promise of eternal life. You can love Him to the moon and back, but he will only come into your heart if you invite Him. It is not meant to scare you, it is meant to give you hope and guidance and love.
One of the posters asked if God loves us, why can't we feel that love? By asking Jesus into your heart you open up your life and your heart to feel His blessings. There is no reason to feel threatened. Yes, it can change your life, but He wants to love you, not scare you. He died a horrible, painful death to save our sorry **ses, and all He asks in return is to let Him into your heart.
I am sorry that you were scared and confused, OP, and that you lost that special love you had for Jesus. I believe you can get that feeling back and increase it tremendously by letting Him in your heart.
Well, I do have that love back. But it's without any of the supernatural belief.
Oh my, this thread has gone off on so many tangents! I would like to comment on the OP's original post in as simplistic a way as I can.
I believe that the "good news" is that by asking Jesus to live in your heart, you are acknowledging His sacrifice and claiming His forgiveness of your sins and promise of eternal life. You can love Him to the moon and back, but he will only come into your heart if you invite Him. It is not meant to scare you, it is meant to give you hope and guidance and love.
One of the posters asked if God loves us, why can't we feel that love? By asking Jesus into your heart you open up your life and your heart to feel His blessings. There is no reason to feel threatened. Yes, it can change your life, but He wants to love you, not scare you. He died a horrible, painful death to save our sorry **ses, and all He asks in return is to let Him into your heart.
I am sorry that you were scared and confused, OP, and that you lost that special love you had for Jesus. I believe you can get that feeling back and increase it tremendously by letting Him in your heart.
Oh my, this thread has gone off on so many tangents! I would like to comment on the OP's original post in as simplistic a way as I can.
I believe that the "good news" is that by asking Jesus to live in your heart, you are acknowledging His sacrifice and claiming His forgiveness of your sins and promise of eternal life. You can love Him to the moon and back, but he will only come into your heart if you invite Him. It is not meant to scare you, it is meant to give you hope and guidance and love.
One of the posters asked if God loves us, why can't we feel that love? By asking Jesus into your heart you open up your life and your heart to feel His blessings. There is no reason to feel threatened. Yes, it can change your life, but He wants to love you, not scare you. He died a horrible, painful death to save our sorry **ses, and all He asks in return is to let Him into your heart.
I am sorry that you were scared and confused, OP, and that you lost that special love you had for Jesus. I believe you can get that feeling back and increase it tremendously by letting Him in your heart.
All must realize the bible didnt teach things for nothing. The real Jesus, sends his followers to his God and Father. To do this-John 4:22-24. If they polled every Trinitarian alive. 5000 might know John 4:22-24 is the bottom line reality of the end journey. Jesus always gave his Father every bit of credit( John 5:30)Matt 7:21)Acts 2:22)---- unfortunately stopping at Jesus is not Gods will, nor is it Jesus desire. In fact he warned all-John 15:20-21--That on account of his name( thinking they stand up for it) will do things against the true followers-WHY? Because they did not know, the one who sent him= Father-John 5:30)--Jesus calls the one who sent him-THE ONLY TRUE GOD at John 17:1-6,26--verse 6=YHWH(Jehovah) 26= YHWH(Jehovah)
1Cor 8:6--There is one God to all, the FATHER.
Trinity translations are filled with error, they teach 2 different Gods. The single being God is correct-YHWH(Jehovah)= the Father.
I grew up going to a Southern Baptist church where I remember hearing the stories about Jesus, and the songs about him. I knew the basics of his life. I really loved him.
But then when I was about 12 I heard the "good news" from a family member. They told me that it wasn't enough just to love God and love Jesus. You had to pray to receive Jesus "into your heart". That confused me. It worried me. What did it even mean?
Ever since that time I sort of lost that special love that I had for Jesus. He became something threatening and confusing.
Can anyone else relate to this experience?
I'd ignore modern marketing of religious sects. Repeated marketing phrases, in general, turn people off. "Accepting him into your heart" is mostly meaningless blather. I have a feeling that its leftover missionary-speak for conversion attempts. It fills the mouths of people who have little else to say that would have legitimate religious or spiritual impact.
Follow your instinct in regard to your relationship to your spirituality. Uninspired memes and repetition that lacks understanding are the death of religious belief, I find. In other words, don't let humans be the cause of you distancing yourself from god.
I found (really re-discovered) an interesting scripture that might help explain God's love for His people to a degree.
It is Colossians 1:13 - He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,
(Like many scriptures, one needs God's holy spirit and recognition to understand it.)
I grew up going to a Southern Baptist church where I remember hearing the stories about Jesus, and the songs about him. I knew the basics of his life. I really loved him.
But then when I was about 12 I heard the "good news" from a family member. They told me that it wasn't enough just to love God and love Jesus. You had to pray to receive Jesus "into your heart". That confused me. It worried me. What did it even mean?
Ever since that time I sort of lost that special love that I had for Jesus. He became something threatening and confusing.
Can anyone else relate to this experience?
How was this threatening and confusing? Did you seek clarification? It seems you got lost in the verbiage and didn't seek the meaning of the statement. What made you love Jesus in the first place and why do you think those reasons have changed?
I grew up going to a Southern Baptist church where I remember hearing the stories about Jesus, and the songs about him. I knew the basics of his life. I really loved him.
But then when I was about 12 I heard the "good news" from a family member. They told me that it wasn't enough just to love God and love Jesus. You had to pray to receive Jesus "into your heart". That confused me. It worried me. What did it even mean?
Ever since that time I sort of lost that special love that I had for Jesus. He became something threatening and confusing.
Can anyone else relate to this experience?
Did you love Jesus as a story book figure or did you wake up one day and realize you wanted to be Captain of your own soul instead?
I suspect the latter is truly the case. Blaming Jesus for your headstrong ways won't buy you any currency in heaven and in the end won't satisfy your spirit either. Apparently you don't want any interference from God or man as you go along in life. That's the worldly philosophy you've decided to subscribe to. Follow the world or follow Christ. Those are the choices.
Your fantasy love affair for the Jesus of your childhood has shown itself to be paper thin - based not upon hard facts of life or spirit, but on a story book character that exists for you only on paper - a fantasy. Unfortunately your love affair with the worldly wisdom you've adopted is much more deadly.
Accepting Jesus into your heart is the same as opening your heart to another man or woman. It's inspired by love, fulfilled in action and bears fruit in the journey of life - and death. It's not rocket science and there's nothing about it that's confusing. Either accept Christ's love and devote yourself to Him or reject Him and go your own way. It's about a relationship with the living God, not religious poppycock.
It's time to wake up and smell the coffee. There is more to death than dying and more to life than living. Some day you may discover the truth of those words. I hope it won't be too late for you when you do.
Time is short and the hour to repent is now.
that's me, hollering from the choir loft...
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