You may be filthy rich or dirt poor. You may ride a brand new $25,000 Custom Harley or you may ride an old, beat up $300 Suzuki. You may have a great wife, 2.3 beautiful kids, a fine house, a faithful dog and a new SUV sitting in the driveway. Or you could be on the edge of life, living in a crack house with drug dealers and junkies for a family, a shack up girlfriend whom you fight with constantly and only your two feet for transportation. You might be a weekend warrior, taking your shiny, new hog and new leathers out for a short spin every other weekend. Or you could be a "real" biker who lives for the chance to ride every time you wake up, wearing the scratches & rust on your scoot like a badge of honor. Regardless of where you're at and where you've come from, you're reading this for a reason. I hope it's because you've got an open mind. That you're willing to go against the grain once in a while. That maybe you're tired of the same old "day in & day out" without anything really special that you can look back on or forward to. Maybe you feel that you're living your life for "things" and "people" but are somehow missing the real purpose of life?

Nobody is perfect!

You may think, "Oh yeah, I've seen how Christians can act!" You may have seen TV preachers constantly asking for your money, you may have a Christian neighbor who borrowed something from you and never returned it, or you may have been cut off on the freeway by some guy with a little chrome fish on his car. Yes, it's true! Christians make mistakes, we do dumb things, insensitive things, we're tempted by the same things you are. I personally know Christians who struggle with alcohol & drug addiction, who've cheated on their wives, who've broken the law and had to do time. I've not only known ‘em, I've been there myself. We are not really any better or different than you, except that we have a relationship with God.

God exists. He's real! He cares about you! He loves you!

Having a relationship with God means He forgives us for the bad and stupid things we do. It means that His love for us is greater than anything you could've done in your life. You could've cheated with a best friend's wife, you could've stolen money from work, you could've even killed someone and have kept it a secret for years. God still loves you and has already forgiven you for that, all of it. That doesn't mean you should shirk your responsibilities and not make restitution for the wrong choices you've made. But at least God doesn't hold them against you.

Jesus is real!

You've no doubt heard about Jesus before. You've probably been handed a tract, cleverly designed to trick you about what's inside. You may have been to church as a kid or has had to sit through Sunday school or some boring sermon. The bottom line is you're either on one side or the other right now. If you're on the side going to heaven with the rest of us, then Amen! If you're on the other side, riding' your scoot at full speed through the gates of hell with so many others, then that's your choice too. God isn't some cosmic killjoy bent on making some people's lives miserable. Ever since Adam & Eve ate the fruit of the tree, this whole world has been cursed, and all of us along with it. God didn't want it that way, but that was man's choice and God always gives us the freedom to choose. But God loves us so much that He's provided a way out to everyone who wants it. Instead of us paying our own way into heaven by our "not so good" works, Jesus has paid the way for us by dying for us on the cross. A perfect man without any sin, no flaws, completely innocent and He allowed Himself to be killed in our place.

So where do you go from here?

Getting into heaven is easy – just follow these steps which I call the "three R's":

1. Realize that you're a sinner – that you're not perfect. This should be a "no brainer" – but just like the drunk who doesn't think he has a drinking problem, we so often fool ourselves into believing we're "not that bad". The Bible says "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). It also says "there is no one righteous, not one" (Romans 3:10). You know Billy Graham, Abraham Lincoln, Gandhi and Mother Teresa? At some point in their lives they sinned, even if it was just one little white lie, that's all it takes to keep you out of heaven.
2. Repent of your sin – make a real commitment to turn 180 degrees around. You've got to want to leave your old, tired life behind. True repentance means not looking back, but looking ahead instead. Peter said "repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins" (Acts 2:38). If you're just buying into Christ like buying fire insurance, it's not going to work. You've got to stop going down the wrong road and turn around to have your sins forgiven.
3. Receive Jesus as your Lord & Saviour – give control of your life to Him. The Bible says: "That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved" (Romans 10:9). Believing in Jesus isn't like believing in Santa Claus, we all know Jesus is a real man who existed. Even the demons believe that! The issue is whether you're gonna continue trying to fly the plane yourself through life, crashing into this, scraping that, flying through the storms in life alone instead of around them, running outta gas and eventually doing the "crash & burn" thing OR whether you're gonna let God be your co-pilot to keep you flying straight & level. The scriptures state that "every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord" (Phillipians 2:10,11). Everyone will end up finding out who He is sooner or later. Don't wait till later! To receive Him, pray to Him right now! Let Him know in your own words that you are a sinner, that you repent and that you want Him to be Lord of your life. He's waiting…

If that's the easy part, what's the hard part?

Well life as a Christian is not easy – not at all! The right choices in life are usually harder to make than the wrong ones. It's always easier to get into trouble than to stay out of trouble. For one thing, the "world" will reject you. You'll be made fun of, called names by some of the friends who knew the "old" you and don't understand the "new" you. You'll face opposition from those who want you to join in their misery because after all, misery loves company. Jesus said that those who follow Him must take up their cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). Let me tell you bro, that cross gets heavy at times. I look up to heaven at least each week and wish God would take me home, but it's all in His time and I continue to press on to do the right things. Sometimes you fall down, sometimes you backslide, sometimes you don't feel like being a Christian any more – but God is there with you at those times to pick you back up and keep walking with you. He never leaves you, even in your darkest hour when all you can think of is hopelessness and death. He's there, every year, every week, every day, hour and minute of your life…

Now go with faith, fellowship and serve!

The Bible says "faith without works is dead" (James 2:26). You've got to keep your faith strong and not let it die. Your works are an indication of how strong your faith is. God will keep your faith strong if you read His word and run with the right crowd. The scriptures say "for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17). So get a Bible. If you cannot afford one, then go visit your local Christian church and ask for one. Or you can contact us by clicking here and request a Bible, we'll make sure you get one, ASAP. If you can't read King James English, then get one in common every day English like the New International Version or the Living Bible.

Next, you got to get plugged into a church and with other believers cause there's strength in numbers. This doesn't mean you have to go to some "boring" church. You know the kind, with pews as hard as dirt and music that only puts you to sleep. Try several out until you find one that fits you. Just like your bike may fit you but not "fit" someone else, you got to find one that's just right – don't get discouraged. There's even some outreach churches and ministries sprouting up that are designed specifically for bikers.

Finally, try to find a ministry to serve in. Here at Bikers For Christ, we serve God by riding motorcycles, visiting the homeless, helping out other bikers on the road, performing services like wedding & funerals, witnessing to others, etc… There are lots of motorcycle ministries out there, all just a little different but all serving the same God. Check out our links page to check out different ministries available for you to serve in OR consider joining Bikers For Christ and helping us out. Just like finding the right church, it's important to find the right ministry where you'll "fit in". Some motorcycle ministries (M/M) are more casual – others are more hardcore. Some are "churchy" while others still are more motorcycle oriented. Some have strict policies, bylaws and discipline, others are more relaxed. Find one that you'll be comfortable serving in. Then get ready for the ride of your life!

God bless you as you live and ride for Him!

Thought for the month (June 2008)

In every thing give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

(Thessalonians 5:18 KJ)

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