IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN

If only I had known that though my existence was due to a choice my parents made, 
God knew me from the moment of my conception and
I was created to have a personal relationship with Him.

For you created my inmost being: you knit me together in my mother's womb ...
(Psalm 139:13 NIV)

If only I had known that it is only through Jesus
that I can have a personal relationship with the Father.

Jesus answered: "I am the way and the truth and the life.
No one comes to the Father except through me."
(John 14:6 NIV)

If only I had known that Jesus was God’s personal gift
sent for the purpose of restoring that relationship.

For God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son,
that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.
(John 3:16 NIV)

If only I had known that it was my sinfulness which kept me
from having a personal relationship with Him.

But your iniquities have separated you from your God.
(Isaiah 59:2 NIV)

If only I had known that Jesus is the only one
who was an acceptable sacrificial lamb
to pay the penalty for my sins by dying in my place.

… you were redeemed from the empty way of life...
with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
(1 Peter 1:18-19 NIV)

If only I had known that I might not be an evil person
but that does not make me more acceptable to God.
Even one transgression makes me a sinner and undeserving of heaven.

For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it.
(James 2:10 NIV)

If only I had known that even my good deeds are tainted by mixed motives
so that they appear to the Lord as filthy rags.

…all our righteous acts are like filthy rags ...
(Isaiah 64:6 NIV)

If only I had known that my good deeds are of no use anyway,
because salvation is by grace alone
and there is nothing I can do in order to receive salvation –
it is a free gift of grace.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and not from yourselves,
it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.
(Ephesians 2:8 NIV)

GRACE is receiving what I cannot earn nor deserve, which is eternal life with God.

MERCY is not receiving what I do deserve, which is eternal damnation in hell!

A chorus we used to sing in Sunday School -

Joy! Joy! Joy!
With joy my heart is ringing
Joy! Joy! Joy!
His love to me is known
My sins are all forgiven
I'M ON MY WAY TO HEAVEN
My heart is bubbling over
With its Joy! Joy! Joy!

I KNOW I'M GOING TO HEAVEN BECAUSE IT DOES NOT DEPEND ON ME.
If it depended on me, I would be on my way to hell
because there is NO WAY I can live up to God's standards of holiness.

If only I had known that my personal relationship with the Father
would begin when I took two simple steps:

1. When I repented of my sins

Repent then and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out.
(Acts 3:19 NIV)

I did not understand that repentance is not just about being sorry for my sins.
It is about admitting that I am a sinner
and then deciding to turn FROM my sinful life TO God.
And it is not the act of repentance which wipes out my sins.
It is the finished work of Jesus which wiped out my sins 2000 years ago.

2. When I believed in Jesus and received Him as my personal Saviour

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right to become the children of God.
(John 1:12 NIV)

I did not know that receiving is an ACTIVE step of addressing Jesus personally
and asking Him to be my Saviour, Redeemer and Lord.

IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN SOONER - BUT PRAISE THE LORD I KNOW IT NOW!