Many spend their lives focusing on the “what,” but never truly understand the “why” behind it all. And because they don’t grasp the real reason, they end up wasting their lives (soon, you’ll better understand what I mean by that).
The Bible makes it clear what the one truly important thing is—the source from which everything else flows. Focus on that, and you’ll be on the right track! (My intention with this book is to place some things in your “backpack” so you can walk this journey. This chapter is filled with challenges and small activities. I suggest you actually do all of them to get the most from this content.)
First of all: if this applies to you, remove from your mind the idea that you were created just to serve God or merely to worship Him. Yes, both things should happen, but they’re not the main reason for your existence.
Before continuing this, take your Bible – or use Google – and read the full chapter of John 17. After reading, ask yourself this question: Why were you created?
As you read in John 17:3, Jesus Himself said that eternal life is to know God. “Eternal life” here doesn’t simply mean living forever chronologically, because according to the Bible, even those in hell will exist forever… in hell. So the “life” in that verse means the very life of God in you. That’s what you were created for! That is life! Not primarily to serve Him, attend church, be a “good person,” or even to go to heaven.
Here’s why: heaven is only heaven because God is there. If He wanted more servants, He would’ve created more angels! The Heavenly Father wanted a human family to love, children to love, a Bride for His Son (Ephesians 5:26–27; Revelation 19:7–9). God’s children have access to the Father in ways the angels never will.
1.2 Which of God’s attributes do I need to know first?
In Exodus (the second book of the Bible), we see that Moses was powerfully used by God to free Israel from slavery in Egypt, which lasted 430 years. He had already witnessed God’s power, majesty, and redemption. Yet still, he asked for more. And what did God reveal?
Exodus 33:18 (NLT): “Moses responded, ‘Then show me your glorious presence.’”
God revealed His heart. Your TRUE Father is the most loving being, and Jesus is the most romantic of all romantics! The greatest love story is the Trinity’s own love within itself (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit)! You exist to know GOD’S LOVE FOR YOU above all else. Eternity will not be long enough to experience the full extent of your Father’s love! He is infinite, and so are the depths of His emotions!
(I encourage you to highlight every time God shows emotion in your Bible. You’ll be surprised at how emotional He is!)
Now reflect: do you feel that God is distant or absent? Serious or harsh? That He’s just waiting for you to mess up so He can punish you? Or that He’s demanding too much from you? How do you see your Heavenly Father? How do you think He feels about you?
Don’t just think—write in a notebook (by hand) how you feel God is.
Because of our experiences with our earthly father (or other male authority figures), we each begin to believe lies about the Heavenly Father. These are lies because no father is perfect, and science confirms that how our fathers treated us deeply influences how we feel about God (even if our father was absent).
As you read the Bible this year, notice how often God shows mercy to His people (a major facet of His love), both in the Old and New Testaments.
All of God’s wrath was satisfied—poured out—on Christ on the cross (Romans 5:9; 3:26). All His negative emotions toward your sin were placed on Jesus. So if you are His child, He can NEVER again be angry, upset, or disappointed with you because of your sin—or He would be sinning Himself! Your Heavenly Father loves you with 100% of His love, 100% of the time! Nothing you do can make Him love you more, and no failure can make Him love you less. You are already successful.
Next task: Read John 17 in full. Also read the chapters before and after to understand the context. Then come back.
Reflect and write down the emotions that are included in “love” (example: love includes enjoying spending time with the person you love).
Now read John 17:23:
“I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”
Basic interpretation: Who is “them” in this verse? Read John 17 again and answer.
Answer: It refers to those disciples alive at that time—and all those who would later believe. So, if you believe in Jesus, that “them” refers to YOU! Got it?
In other words: Jesus is saying that the Father LOVES YOU in the SAME WAY that He loves JESUS! Not one drop less! He enjoys you just the same, appreciates you just the same, is proud of you just the same! How could you ever have a bad day after hearing that?
There’s a void inside you that won’t be filled with anything else—not even serving God. The only thing that can fill it is experiencing this love. Meditate on this truth EVERY day. It will transform your life more than anything else!
Psalm 139:13–16 (NIV):
“For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.”
But a great problem happened. Sin entered, and you sinned, because all have sinned and fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). And because of sin, we are absolutely lost and separated from Him—we need salvation.
The Bible says in John 1:12 that it’s by receiving Jesus and believing in His name that we are made children of God. So not everyone is automatically a child of God. You’re likely reading this because you consider yourself a Christian. But I must clarify what salvation really is and what the Bible says about following Jesus—because sadly, many think they’re saved, but they aren’t, since they never did what the Bible says we must do to be saved.
A test: Can you confidently say you are a child of God? Why would He let you into heaven if you died today?
If your answer was: “I’m not sure,” “Because I’m a good person,” “I try to obey God,” “Because I was baptized,” or “I grew up Christian,” then unfortunately, the Bible says you are not truly saved. The Bible never says baptism or good works save us. On the contrary, salvation is by grace through faith alone:
Ephesians 2:8 (NIV):
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Another test: Is your life producing the fruit of the Spirit? (See Galatians 5:22–26.) Because the Holy Spirit automatically bears fruit in the life of those who are truly God’s children. It’s impossible to have God living in you and not show His fruit.
Now, the practical part:
Romans 10:9–10 (NLT):
“If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
Interpretation:
Your part: Declare with your mouth and believe with your heart.
God’s part: To save you.
To believe “God raised Him from the dead” implies you must believe He died in your place because you deserved death for your sin.
To declare “Jesus is Lord” means surrendering control of your life to Him. He paid the price out of love—so you can trust Him to guide everything in your life.
To receive a great gift, your hands must be empty. Likewise, to receive the GIFT of salvation, you must let go of your own life and receive His life.
Matthew 16:25 (NLT):
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”
(The same truth appears in Mark 8:35 and Luke 9:24.)
This means surrendering all: where to live, who to marry, what to study—everything. Yes, God has a perfect plan, even for who you should marry, because He is the BEST Father and He cares about every detail.
Luke 9:23 (NLT):
“Then he said to the crowd, ‘If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.’”
Matthew 7:21–23 (NLT):
“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter.
On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’
But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’”
These verses are intense but essential to understand what life with Christ truly means—otherwise, there’s no point in continuing this book.
Following Jesus is daily. It’s dying to self and walking in the victory and joy of the cross.
Even if someone has said the right prayer, done good works, or gone to church—they may still not know God. And knowing God is the purpose of life! Jesus links this to obedience.
John 14:15:
“If you love me, obey my commandments.”
God’s love language is obedience. It’s a daily decision, trusting His grace. To be saved, you must make a decision right now to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Jesus.
And yes, you’ll fail—but keep going. If you don’t quit, you win!
Luke 14:25–33 (NLT) (paraphrased): Jesus says that anyone who does not renounce everything cannot be His disciple. Count the cost. If you’re willing, by love, to surrender everything to know Him, then that’s enough.
Now comes the decisive moment: Have you made this full surrender to Jesus, no matter the cost? If not, take time now to count the cost—and then pray this prayer of full surrender.
Prayer of Salvation (based on Scripture):
“Heavenly Father, I recognize that I was created to be your child, to know you, receive your love, and love you in return. You love me so much that you planned, before the foundation of the world, a way to demonstrate your great love: by sending your perfect Son to suffer what I deserved and give His life in my place.
I believe Jesus was sent by You, and that You raised Him from the dead. I acknowledge that my sin separated me from You, and I repent of all of them.
First, I forgive all who have offended me, because if I don’t forgive, I cannot receive your forgiveness. Now I ask your forgiveness for all my sins.
Holy Spirit, come and live in my heart and make me a new creation. I now receive Jesus as my Savior and Lord. I surrender my life, my dreams, and my plans to follow Him.
Thank You that in this moment, I am adopted into your family. My sins are forgiven and forgotten. I renounce all guilt, condemnation, and shame.
Help me to obey You every day, to hear Your voice clearly, and to live the life You have for me. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!”
If you just prayed this for the first time—CONGRATULATIONS! WELCOME TO THE FAMILY! Heaven is throwing a party for you! Keep reading this book to keep growing in your walk with Christ. And please send an email to media.agapeloveministries@gmail.com or send us a message in our Instagram or Facebook to share about your decision, so we can help you to grow in your faith, and learn in practical ways how to daily follow Jesus.
Assurance of Salvation
Here are more verses to root this truth in your heart: if you’ve done what the Bible says, God does not lie—you are saved and will be with Him forever.
John 1:12 (NIV):
“Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
1 John 3:1 (NIV):
“See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!”
1 John 1:9 (NLT):
“But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”
Micah 7:19 (NIV):
“You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.”