Imagine you’re at the skatepark, and you break your deck. The feeling of frustration and disappointment hits hard. Especially if you’re trying to land a trick or get a clip. Imagine you don’t have a backup and you don’t have the money to buy a new board. Now imagine while you’re sitting there feeling hopeless, a guy rolls up with a brand-new deck—the exact same board you’ve been skating; same size, same shape, still new and never skated. Then, he does something unexpected—he offers it to you for FREE! No catch. He isn’t trying to sell it to you. He’s not asking you to work for it. He simply offers it to you as a free gift. All he asks in return is for you to give up your old snapped deck!

This is a picture of what Jesus has done for us.

God created us to live in a way that honors Him, but we’ve all sinned and blown it. Sin is anything that goes against God’s commands—lying, cheating, stealing, lusting—anything that separates us from Him. And if you’re thinking, “Well, that means I’m a sinner, don’t worry—you’re not alone.”

Romans 3:23 says, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”

Just like having a broken skateboard with no way to replace it, we can’t fix our brokenness on our own. No matter how hard we try, we need help—we need a Savior.

Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death…”

Sin has a price and that price is death. It’s like committing a crime and facing a punishment we can’t escape. But here’s the GOOD NEWS: God, is the judge yet He loves us so much that He made a way to save us. He sent Jesus to take our punishment for us. Jesus died in our place so we wouldn’t have to.

Just like accepting a brand-new board when yours is broken, all God asks of us is to acknowledge and accept this gift of life through Jesus. It’s not about trying to earn it or pay for it. Jesus did the work; He’s simply offering you new life. But it’s not until you realize that just like a broken deck, your life is also broken, that we truly recognize our need for Christ.

In the Bible, a follower of Jesus named Paul realized his need for a savior and writes in Romans 7:24-25:"Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord."

So how do you accept this gift?
The Bible makes it clear…

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

It’s that simple.

Admit and recognize your brokenness.
Acknowledge the gift of life in Jesus.
Surrender your old life to Him.
Receive a new life through what He has done.

It’s not about what you’ve done—it’s about what He has done for you.

If you’re ready, you can pray something like this:

"Jesus, I know I am a sinner. I know I am broken like the deck in this story. I believe You loved me so much that you died on the cross and rose again 3 days later so that I could have life. I want to put my faith in you today as I make the decision to follow you. Forgive me and change me. Thank You for saving me. Amen."

If you prayed that and truly meant it, you are saved! You now have a new life in Christ and He will walk with you every step of the way.

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