The most amazing thing on earth is that God loves us. We don't deserve that. But it is still true that He loved us so much that even though we did not bother about Him but did whatever we pleased, He cared for us. Jesus, the Son of God, came and died in our place, taking the punishment that we deserved. What can we say in response to such love?A long time ago, God created human beings. Even though we human beings have a lot of similarities with animals, we are not animals. There is something in us that animals don't have - that is our spirit. Our spirit is the deepest part of us, deeper than our mind.
Every one of us has a conscience that pricks us when we have done something wrong. This is a part of our spirit. Animals don't have this conscience. (Of course, it is possible to dull our conscience by going against its warnings again and again).
It is our spirit that can get in touch with God because God is a Spirit without body or form. It is this spirit in us that gropes around for God. As someone said, in every human being there is a vacuum which only God can fill. People try to fill it with entertainment, work, hobbies, etc. But at the end of it all there is still an emptiness.
Every civilisation has had its ideas about God, which some people in that time have thought about and taught others. But even in the most so-called advanced species of animals we don't see any form of worship of God, because they don't have a spirit.
When God created the first man and woman - Adam and Eve - He wanted them to enjoy life with Him. But they disobeyed Him and lost that free access and fellowship they had with Him earlier. As a result life became hard and complicated on earth for them and all their descendents - including us. This is the natural consequence of going against the laws of life which God has designed for us.
Now all of us have ignored, disobeyed and flouted God's laws, for doing what we wanted to do. This is called sin. Whether we have done "small" sins or "big" sins, the fact is that we have all sinned. One sin leads to another, and soon life becomes more and more complicated. On God's side, every time we have sinned, that has separated us farther from Him. This was what He had warned Adam and Eve in the beginning, that if they sinned they would "die" - which is, spiritually speaking, a separation from God.
God knew that we were only weak, small creatures who could not save ourselves even if we wanted. Our determination doesn't work for long, and even if we are careful about some things we end up falling in other ways. So instead of just telling us to be more careful or threatening us with dire punishment if we sinned, He took our punishment on Himself. That was what Jesus, who was God who took human form, did when He died on the cross nearly 2000 years ago. He who did no sin took the punishment for our sins, and died in our place.
Imagine standing before God one day, and giving Him an account of our lives. Can we tell Him that we were 'good' people and that we deserve to go to heaven? What would we do when He brings out the records and shows the whole world everything we have ever done, said or thought? All the people will see not only what we have done wrong, but also the wrong motives with which we did our good deeds also. Who can escape that day? Not a single man or woman.
Imagine then that we see someone else come before God and say, "I was a sinner, worse than most people around me. But one day I understood that Jesus died for my sins. Now I am standing here because He has taken away my punishment." Then we will wish we had also done that. But now is our opportunity.
Now all God asks us to do is to admit our sins, and receive salvation from Him by thanking Him for letting Jesus take our punishment on the cross. When we do that, God makes us new people in our spirit, and also begins to help us not to sin. That is salvation.
When we look around, we see many different religions all offering us some form of "salvation." Some call for penance, pilgrimages, strict discipline, great sacrifices or keeping of many rituals including a way of dressing, hairstyle, marks on the body, etc. The problem with all these is that they don't change us inside - in our spirit. It is all man trying to earn an acceptance before God. There are some 'modern' religions which specialise in mental exercises such as meditation which produces 'peace.' But this is actually only a process of "getting away" from the problems for a while. After they return to the real world, problems still persist. This does not set them right with God.
All such approaches are based on men themselves trying to find some way to God. Some think one way, and some think in another and they never agree with one another.
But the only way that is true is what God Himself has shown us.
Think of Someone who knows everything about us - every thing we have ever done, spoken or even thought. And instead of throwing the book at us, He takes the punishment for our sins. That is God's love. This is the salvation Jesus brings us. How do we know it is true? Because three days after Jesus was killed on the cross, He came back to life. And now He can come and live in our heart if we ask. Will you ask Him now?
Tell Jesus that you are sorry for your sins because it is your sins which took Him to the cross. Thank Him for dying in your place on the cross. Ask Him to forgive you and to come into your heart and make you a child of God.
When that happens you will be the happiest person on earth. Then you can begin to grow spiritually by reading the Bible, talking to God daily in prayer and spending time together with other Christians.