salvation

Christmas for You, in 60-Seconds

Jesus, God’s only begotten son, vacated his right place in heaven, therefore giving up his Godhood, to become one of us!  He was born to a woman named Mary and came to carry out a mission: to make way for the salvation of all humankind.

Of course he succeeded!

Jesus grew up, lived a sinless life, rallied many toward the Kingdom of Heaven, and then died upon a cross, sacrificially shedding his blood in the ultimate act of forgiving all of us of all of our sins.  He died for every bad thing, every bad thought, every lie, every hurt. Three days later he arose from the dead.

All you have to do is believe this, willingly receive Him as your Savior, trust him as Lord of your life, and you will be saved from an eternity in Hell and instead be guaranteed life in Heaven. He will then place His Spirit within you, to empower you to live as He would have you to live.

As the Bible says:

If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved (Romans 10:9).

Perhaps a simple prayer for you could be: Lord Jesus, I need your forgiveness, please take away my hurts and pain, and fill me with joy. I surrender my life to you. Empower me to do this Lord, because I can’t do it on my own. Amen.

Find a Bible and read the Gospel of John. You will love it.

Merry Christmas from the Sussman household to yours!

This was originally published on December 24, 2013, and updated Christmas day 2022.

Back to Basics: My Story

My story of coming to faith in Jesus began when I was a boy. My dad made sure my brother and I grew up with our Jewish identity, but we were largely quite secular.

During the fall of my tenth year I happened upon a terrible accident that occurred on a Saturday afternoon just up the street from the apartment complex we lived in. There was a small MG sports cars parked, with a dented front end. Outside the car a teenage girl was completely distraught. In front of the car was a twisted bicycle. Next to the bike was the body of a young boy.

I didn’t know who the boy was until his parents arrived on the scene. It was my friend Kenny. We had just played a Pop Warner football game that morning.

Kenny didn’t make it. Later that week I was a pallbearer at his funeral.

I came home from that funeral petrified of death. That night I prayed: God, if you’re there I need to know who you are. I don’t want to die like Kenny. I don’t want to go to hell; I want to go to heaven. 

There seemed to be no response from God for many years.

My life began to unravel from within as I was so paranoid about dying. I don’t need to go into all the details, but I was a mess. Finally, in college, I met woman my age who recognized the need in my life. She encouraged me to read the New Testament with her. I was reluctant, because as a Jew the New Testament is off-limits. But, honestly, thanks to her attractiveness, I obliged.

I read about Jesus and his disciples. They were all Jewish. Jesus spoke of heaven and eternal life. He said, “Cast your cares upon me.”  Jesus was more than just a good man. He was the only Son of God, who died for our sins and was raised from the dead. He promised his followers eternal life.

It was everything I had hoped for.

So, I prayed. I privately prayed to God to take my fear away, and come into my life and empower me with His Spirit. Immediately that fear of death and hell that had gripped me for years finally vanished. That initial prayer turned into a lifestyle of surrender to Jesus.

My heart has been in a state of renewal ever since.

This is my story.

And by the way, I married the attractive young woman.

Are you ready to let God rewrite your story?