Ephesians 2:18
“For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.”
We have access to the Father through Jesus. This is so wonderful, that on earth we won't be able to grasp all of what it means. The first thing that comes to mind is that our souls are saved. Many of us came to Christ for that reason. We rightfully feared death and responded to the message.
We wanted the rescue to avoid the punishment. We read in the bible about hell. It is described as hot and difficult to handle. We see the rich man in Jesus' parable crying out for water to quench his thirst. Lee Strobel's film, The Case For Heaven has Howard Storm describing a near death experience. His description of hell was the horrible beings that were there. They attacked him, beat him, abused him in unthinkable ways. When he was road kill, they abandoned him for another time. We all should want to avoid hell.
What I've come to think of hell is a place void of God. All the pleasure of this world is because He created it. All the food, the friends, the adventures, the goals met, joy in our hearts and so on. While we think it's those things, God created us with those appetites and how to meet them. It's all God. He is not in hell, nor will there be any way to satisfy our wants and needs.
So, access to God is all those good things and then some. Psalm 16;11 says, "You have made known to me the path of life; You will fill me with joy in Your presence, with eternal pleasures at Your right hand." The joy we have as a christian is far superior. He loves us and as we walk with Him He gives us joy. We could be in the middles of a tough time and still be joyful. It's the contentment of heart at a high level.
As we walk with Christ we get all of these blessings, but we learn that the prize is Him. All those things are great, heaven, full hearts, good relationships and so on. This is the restoration of Eden. Us living life in a relationship with our creator.
He wants all to come to Him. He wants all to receive those blessings and learn that He is what they've wanted all along. He tells us to share His message to others. Paul says it this way in 2 Corinthians 5:18, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation." We all are to be reconcilers. We all have a unique set of gifts that He uses to bless and help others.
Jesus says we are the salt of the earth. Our lives are to bring spice to life, so as people want what we have. Usually it's our life that attracts, other times it's our words. 2 Corinthians 2:15 says this about us, "For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing." As we walk with Christ we are to so christlike that we emit Him. Some appreciate it, others don't.
Lord, thank You for Jesus and His great sacrifice that gave us access. Oh the blessing we have in You. Thank You!! Help us to be reconcilers; to bring others to You.