Are you in between crossroads? Do you know that there is something bigger than you out there - a higher power? But maybe you are not prepared to state that it is God - the one and only creator? Maybe you have trouble believing Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light? Maybe you cannot comprehend why one man would be sent to save us all from our sins and allow us entrance into the ultimate kingdom of God? Maybe you cannot bring yourself to accept Jesus as your savior and say "the prayer" of salvation as so many christians would like for you to do?
That is okay. We all have these crossroads at one point in time in our lives. Maybe even after we have accepted Jesus into our life.
According to modern day evangelists, Jesus, Himself probably was not much of an evangelist. Jesus never forced Himself upon anyone. Jesus never said follow me or else! Or that you must accept me today or forget it!
Jesus loved to teach through parables. Why? Maybe He believed it was easier to reach those who were having trouble believing if He spoke in their terms instead of scripture.
When asked by the Pharisaic lawyer, "what must he do to gain eternal life?" Jesus responded to him to recite what he understood, which was to love God as well as his neighbors as himself. Jesus did not tell him to go pray the prayer or give him a tract with the 5 points to salvation. Jesus told him to go and put into practical obedience that which he understood from God.
So if you are questioning God's existence or Jesus' purpose? If you are questioning your own creation and being? If you are drawn to this being called God but cannot bring yourself to believe in Him. I challenge you:
to check Jesus out! Ask God or the four walls, if that is the one you think you are speaking to, that iyou want to find out if Jesus is truly God and that, if you could feel more certain you would follow Him. Then begin to read the Gospels every day. Each day, as you read, something will probably hit you and make sense. Whatever that is, do it as soon as you can. Act on whatever strikes you as true and do it if you are sincerely seeking God.
God does not want to force your hand. He wants you to believe in Him because you do. He wants you to delight in Him because you want to. He wants you to love Him honestly and obediently. He wants you to make that choice that is why he created free will.
Take the Jesus Challenge starting today, tomorrow, when you feel comfortable doing so. Even if it is only a few words a day you read. Just be honest with yourself and God. Ask Him or the four walls to open your heart, mind, and eyes and reveal the truth to you and act upon it.
God Bless! Good Luck with your search for the truth!
Mary Ludolph
Before you leave I would like to share the following story with you from a book titled "Out Of The Salt Shaker & Into The World" by Rebecca Manley Pippert
Sue was an agnostic and her friend Larry a christian. Larry never left Sue out into the cold after converting. He invited her to his christian meetings and he and his new found friends loved her as if she were one of them. Sue was amazed by all this love and dedication but she still found it hard to accept the Lord.
So Sue took the above advice. One day as she was reading the scripture she read "If someone steals your coat, don't let him have only that, but offer your cloak as well." For whatever reason that verse hit her between the eyes so she said to her four walls "Listen, walls - or God, if you're there--I'm going to do what thise verse says, if the opportunity arises today. I want to remind you that I'm trying to do things your way in order to find out if you exist and if Jesus really is who he says. Amen."
The day went by and she forgot about the verse. She headed to the library to work on her thesis. Everyone was assigned their own thesis desk. As she sat at hers, this guy came up yelling at her that the school had not yet assigned him his so he was going to take hers. The librarian interceded as the yelling between the two continued. She suggested that they go to see their thesis adviser.
It was obvious that this young men held in a lot of anger and aggression. His continued ranting and raving just agitated the adviser more. So the adviser asked Sue what do you think we should do.
At this time Sue kept thinking about what she'd seen in these past several months. She's witness Larry's life change. She had seen something beautiful in this Christian fellowship, something so real she could almost touch it. She told the adviser that he could have the desk and the meeting was over.
When they walked out the door the guy grabbed Sues' arm and asked why in the world she would give him her desk. She told him if I tell you you are going to think I flipped my lid. So she continued to tell him that she wants to discover if Jesus is rally the way to God. She was attempting to obey things God way. So that she had been reading the Gospels, and today she read that if somebody tries to rip her off, she was supposed to let them and even through something into boot. But she told him not to hold his breath for that something extra.
The guy asked "why in the world would Jesus do such a crazy thing?" Sue responded, "Hey, if there's one thing I've learned from reading about Jesus and meeting these Christians, it's that Jesus wants to give us a whole lot more than a thesis desk if we'd let Him. I think the basic idea is that it's knowing Jesus that makes us rich, not owning possessions. So that thesis desk is yours.
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