THREE TRUTHS

For the past decade, I’ve had the great blessing of traveling the world, sharing the hope of Christ and the promise of eternity with Him. I have several diff erent passages from which I preach and multiple anecdotes that I like to use. When it comes right down to it, however, there are three key truths that I share every time I step up to the podium. Th ey are applicable and relevant for every person in the audience, young or old, across the globe. First, there is a God who loves you and wants a relationship with you. One of the most famous and oft -repeated verses in the Bible is John 3:16: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life” (ESV). God loves us so much that He sent His Son to establish a relationship with us. If you are a parent, you can understand the great sacrifi ce this was on our behalf. Second, sin has destroyed that relationship. Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (ESV). God is perfect and can’t tolerate sin in His presence. You and I, on the other hand, are sinful and broken people. We aren’t hiding that sin from God. He knows who we are and what we’ve done. Please don’t underestimate the destructive nature of sin. You may think that it’s okay, not a big deal. However, every sin erodes that relationship and draws us further away from God rather than driving us to Him. Sin brings spiritual decay. Finally, God sent His Son to restore that relationship through Jesus’ death on the cross. God loves us and wants a relationship with us, but sin has damaged that relationship. What’s the answer? God sent His perfect Son, who knew no sin, to take our place and the punishment for our sin. Romans 5:8 says, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (ESV). Jesus took your sin and mine and became our substitute. He carried our sin, and in its place gave us His perfection. Now when our holy and sinless God looks at us, He sees us as blameless. Now, my friends, those are the truths that I share from Scripture—that God loves us and wants a relationship with us, that sin has destroyed that relationship, and that God sent His son to restore it. As an evangelist, I can tell people this, but I can’t make them accept it. And, no, eternal life isn’t a default setting that exists for everybody. One must make the decision to follow Jesus, to believe in Him and accept the free gift of salvation He off ers that brings healing and restoration to that sin-broken relationship. I pray that you have made that decision and found that hope and that you use these three truths to reach others. THREE TRUTHS BY: WILL GRAHAM

Will is the third generation of Grahams to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ under the banner of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association (BGEA). He also serves as vice president of the BGEA, and as executive director of the Billy Graham Training Center at Th e Cove in Asheville, N.C.

RECIPE

Sun-Dried Tomato Bow Tie Pasta

PREP TIME: 30 minutes| COOK TIME: 20 minutes| SERVES: 4-6

1. Soften the sun-dried tomatoes according to the package directions and cut in strips. 2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta; set aside. 3. While the pasta cooks, if you are adding chicken to this recipe, cut chicken into bite-sized pieces and set aside. 4. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan. When the oil is warm, add garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. 5. If using optional chicken, add the chicken to the sauté pan and cook until done. Add chicken and sun-dried tomato mixture to the pasta, sprinkle with pine nuts, Feta cheese, and olives. Serve immediately.

AN EXCERPT FROM: A PLACE AT THE TABLEby Kelly Minterwith Regina Pinto

INGREDIENTS:

2 packages sun-dried tomatoes, softened and cut in strips 16 ounces bow tie pasta 2-3 tablespoons olive oil 10 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup pine nuts 16 ounces Feta cheese, crumbled 1 (16 ounce) can black olives, chopped Salt and pepper, to taste Optional: 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into small pieces

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