Dearly Beloved,

My name is Olufemi, and I am honored to share my faith with you. The meaning of my name is “God Loves Me”—a truth I only came to understand deeply after more than forty years of life. Though I was raised in a Christian home, attended Christian schools, and served in church, it wasn’t until I began studying the Bible personally that I truly grasped the depth of God’s love.

When God created man, He made us in His own image—with divine capacity, purpose, and freedom. Man was like God, which carried both privilege and danger. God, in His infinite wisdom, foresaw the possibility of human rebellion and prepared a Savior in advance—His only Son, Jesus Christ—to redeem us.

Indeed, man fell in the Garden of Eden, and sin entered the world. Because God is holy and just, He cannot tolerate sin. Sin must be punished. Yet God’s love for us is so great that He does not want us to bear the punishment ourselves, nor to be eternally separated from Him. As John 3:16 declares, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”

God’s wisdom in absolving man from the consequences of his sin is enshrined in His redemptive plan which is expected to be received by simple faith in what Christ has done. Out of His deep love, God did not ask us to endure the punishment that Jesus bore on the cross—a punishment marked by suffering, rejection, and death. Instead, He calls us to understand and believe in that sacrifice. What God requires is not that we pay for our sins, but that we trust in the One who already paid the price in full.

This invitation is simple yet profound: to receive salvation by placing our faith in Jesus Christ, who endured what we could never bear, so that we might live forever with Him. As Ephesians 2:8 reminds us, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.”

Abraham understood this eternal promise. Though he was given the land of promise, he lived in tents, waiting for something greater. He believed God was preparing a city with eternal foundations—designed and built by God Himself (Hebrews 11:10).

The apostles—Peter, James, John, and Paul—also caught this vision. They looked beyond this world and became bold witnesses of Christ. Their lives no longer belonged to the present age; they had glimpsed eternity. That’s why they could endure persecution, imprisonment, and even death with joy. They knew that “to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord,” and they believed what 1 Corinthians 2:9 declares:

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.”

This is the message of the whole Bible: Believe in Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. God has prepared unimaginable glory for those who love Him.

Thank you for reading this message. I encourage you to study the Bible and seek godly teaching regularly. Remember: The Lord loves you—and so do I.

God bless you. Shalom.