Have you ever felt that you were alone, with no one who really understood you?

Would you like to have a good friends who would never leave you, who could help you whenever you needed it?

You can meet a friend like this right now. His name is Jesus. He has written you a "letter" to let you know about Him, about who He is and what He did to try to become your friend. The most personal part of that letter is the post you reading now.

Jesus wants to be with you all the time, but there is a problem. He cannot stay where there is sin. Every time we lie, cheat, disobey, or do other wrong things, we move further from Jesus. We must remember He cannot stay where there is sin.

But Jesus loved everyone in the world just as they were, and He keeps loving us the same way today, even though we have sinned.

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

In His letter Jesus tells us the best way a person can show his love is to be willing to even die for his friend.

"Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends."
(John 15:13)

That's just what Jesus did for us. But why did He have to die? In order to show us just how much He wanted to be our friend, Jesus decided to take our punishment for us. That way we could be forgiven without having to pay for our own sin. God could treat us just as is we had never sinned, and Jesus His Son could be our friend forever.

So do we have to die too? Not for our sins, because Jesus died for them so we wouldn't have to. And not forever, because Jesus died and resurrected so we could live forever with Him. In the letter He says:

"In my Father's house are many rooms . . . . I am going there to prepare a place for you . . . . I will come back and take you to be with Me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:2,3)

That is what "eternal life" means in His letter.

"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life." (John 3:36)

What do we have to do to get rid of our sin so Jesus can be our friend? It's really easy. First we have to believe that what He wrote us in His letter is true. And then all we have to do is ask him to do what He said He would do. In the letter it is called "praying." Some of Jesus' closest friends once asked Him to teach them how to pray. They had seen Him doing it all the time, so they wanted Him to show them how to pray. He taught them to pray to their Heavenly Father and ask Him to forgive their sins. So He taught them to pray:

"Our Father in heaven, . . . forgive us our sins, for we also forgive those who sinned against us." (Matthew 6:9, Luke 11:4)

So why not do it right now? Just say:

"Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus to die for my sins. Please forgive me for all the bad things I've ever done. I want Jesus to be my Savior and Friend, now and forever. Amen.