EVA:24 Things Jesus wants to do for YOU by Martin Lane God is love, and therefore He wants to do great things in your life. It is astonishing to discover what Jesus wants to do in our lives. Religious traditions and our present preconceived notions tell us one thing, but Jesus Himself and the writers of the New Testament tell us something else. Sometimes we imagine the early disciples were spiritual supermen. We forget that Matthew was a tax collector and James and John fishermen. Peter denied the Lord and Thomas doubted him. They were ordinary and imperfect men, but as they spent time with Jesus they became great in God's kingdom. Jesus can and will do the same for you today if you will let Him. Here is a list of 24 things Jesus will do for anyone. You will notice that with some of the promises God also tells what steps He requires of you. Take those steps, and watch what Jesus will do in your life. (1) HE WANTS TO MAKE YOU A CHILD OF GOD. "But as many as received Him, to them gave He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name." (John 1:12) (2) JESUS WANTS TO SHARE EVERYTHING HE HAS WITH YOU. "The Spirit Him- self bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if child- ren, then heirs--heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." (Romans 8:16-17) (3) HE WANTS TO BAPTIZE YOU WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. "I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance, " said John the Baptist. "But He...will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Matthew 3:11) (4) HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU INFLUENCE. "Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men." (Matthew 4:19) (5) HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU WISDOM. "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." (James 1:5) (6) JESUS WANTS TO GIVE YOU JOY. "Until now you have asked nothing in My name, Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full." (John 16:24) (7) HE WANTS TO ANSWER PRAYER. "Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them." (Mark 11:24) (8) HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU HIS FAITH. "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." (Galatians 2:20) (9) JESUS WANTS TO BE YOUR PRIEST. "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) (10) HE WANTS TO ACKNOWLEDGE YOU IN HEAVEN. "Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him will I also confess before My Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10:32) (11) HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU ETERNAL LIFE. "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives in Me shall never die." (John 11:25-26) (12) HE WANTS TO MAKE YOU A FRIEND OF GOD. "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) (13) HE WANTS TO ENTHRONE YOU. "To him who overcomes I will grant to sit with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne." (Revelation 3:21) (14) JESUS WANTS TO GIVE YOU A NEW START IN LIFE. "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17) (15) JESUS WANTS TO HEAL YOU. "...by whose stripes you were healed." (I Peter 2:24) "Then a leper came to Him, imploring Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' and Jesus, moved with compassion, put out His hand and touched him, saying to him, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'" (Mark 1:40-41) (16) JESUS WANTS TO FORGIVE YOUR SINS. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unright- eousness." (1 John 1:9) (17) HE WANTS TO HELP YOU CONQUER TEMPTATION. "No temptation has over- taken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." (1 Corinthians 10:13) (18) HE WANTS TO SET YOU FREE. "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free." (John 8:32) (19) JESUS WANTS TO CONQUER YOUR FEARS. "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." (2 Timothy 1:7) (20) HE WANTS TO GIVE YOU REST. "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28) (21) JESUS WANTS TO PROVIDE YOUR MATERIAL NEEDS. "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind. For all these things the nations of the world seek after, and your Father knows that you need these things. But seek the kingdom of God, and all these things shall be added to you." (Luke 12:29-31) (22) JESUS WANTS TO REWARD YOU FOR FOLLOWING HIM. "Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or parents or brothers or wife or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times more in this present time, and in the age to come everlasting life." (Luke 18:29-30) (23) HE WANTS TO MAKE YOU WILLING TO DO ALL THE WILL OF GOD. "For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:13) (24) JESUS WANTS TO REVEAL HIMSELF TO YOU. "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." (John 14:21) Read the New Testament and you will find many other promises we could have put in this list. In view of His great love for you and the wonderful things He wants to do for you, it would make no sense for you to ignore Jesus or to turn Him away. But what must you do to begin to receive what Jesus wants to give you? The conditions are simple, as you have already seen: ASK God .... See notes 5, 6 and 7 BELIEVE or trust in Jesus to do the things He says He wants to do. See notes 1, 7, 8, 11 and 12 CONFESS you sins, and Jesus as your Lord. .... See notes 10 and 16 DEVOTE your life to Him, just as He has devoted His life to you. Follow Him, obey Him, deny yourself for Him, love Him-- all of this is part of your devotion. .... See notes 1, 2, 4, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 22 and 24 Your part is as simple as A-B-C-D: Ask, Believe, Confess, Devote. All the riches of heaven await your response. If you want someone to tell you more about Jesus or to pray with you or just to talk, call: Open Door Fellowship Ministry P.O. Box 141 Lycoming, NY 13093 Martin Lane