When
you believe on Christ and it seems like it's sorta fallen
through - hold on. God isn't finished yet. If you're still
breathing, God isn't done with you.
Salvation is of God. After King David had committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband trying to cover it up, he repented in Psalm 51. In that Psalm,
he did not ask for his salvation to be restored. He asked
for his fellowship to be restored. He said, "Restore
unto me the joy of thy salvation."
Isn't
that the way sin is? 'No Jesus ... no joy. Know Jesus ...
know joy.' (Please excuse that blatant cliché.) The
only thing more miserable than someone who doesn't know Jesus
at all is someone who knows Jesus but isn't trying to walk
with Him.
This
life is a picture of the life to come. Here we have streets,
mansions, cities, gates (of pearl ... I'd love to fry that
oyster!), walls (of jasper ... I'm not real sure what jasper
is but, if it's edible, let's fry it!), chairs, dinner tables,
food... Those things will also be in Heaven. We have fathers,
brothers, sisters, mamas. In Heaven, we'll have our Heavenly
Father, our big brother Jesus, and the rest of the family
of God. We'll even have angels to clean up after the marriage
supper.
Let
me ask you a question. If you are a parent, is there anything
your children could do that would make you stop loving them?
Is there anything that could make you disown your child? If
you're a normal, loving parent (and haven't made an appearance
on The Ricki Lake Show), you would say, "NO!"
Well, whoever gave you the idea that God would give up on
you? Is your love for your children stronger than God's love
is for His? God IS Love. Do you actually think
you could do anything to make Him stop loving you, or disown
you? He promised that what He started in us, He
will finish. His death will not be in vain.
He's
paid too much for you to give up on you now!
He
may take you out to the woodshed and beat the tar out of you
... I think the Bible calls it 'chastisement'. The Bible does
say He chastises all of His children. But the good thing about
God, He never spanks us one lick too many. It's always out
of love and for our protection.
Are
we saying salvation is a free gift but if you keep it, it's
up to you? The GVB sang a song, several years ago, called
We Shall Wear A Robe And Crown. It's a nice song. But
it had a line in it that said, "When I get to Heaven,
I'll tell King Jesus how I made it over." I told Bill
I'm not singing that line. When I get to Heaven, I'm not gonna
tell King Jesus how I made it over. He's gonna tell me how
He brought me over! I can't make it to Heaven if He
doesn't bring me. I don't know where Heaven is. The smartest
minds on earth sent a toy car to Mars ... How are we
gonna find Heaven? He's got to save us; He's got to keep us
saved; He's got to take us home ... or we're not going.
We
say we believe salvation is a free gift, unmerited favor -
it can't be earned to receive it. But, then, we act like we
have to earn the right to keep it. You can't earn it to get it, and
you can't be good enough to keep it.
Remember
the Pharisees? They kept all the law (they thought). They
were better than the 'scum-of-the-earth normal people' they
had to deal with every day (they thought). But Jesus said,
[my paraphrase here] "You boys haven't read the fine
print ... You think if you commit adultery, you have sinned
... I say 'If you even think about it in your heart, you've
committed it already'."
In
the Old Testament, they wanted ten per cent of your income.
Jesus told the rich, young ruler to 'sell it all, give it
to the poor and follow Him'. Jesus didn't destroy the law.
He fulfilled it ... because we can't. We couldn't back then
and we still can't today. If we could be good enough, there
would've been no need for Calvary.
I
have a friend who doesn't believe in God. When I first met
her, I told her that I wouldn't believe in God either if I
had enough faith. It takes a lot more faith to not believe
in God than it does to believe in Him. To believe all this
order in the universe evolved from some gaseous, cosmic-belch?
I don't think so. I have just enough faith to believe Someone
bigger, wiser, smarter and more powerful than I put it all
together. I told her with her kind of faith, if she ever did
become a Christian, she would be able to throw mountains into
the ocean right and left!
Believing
on Christ is more than an experience to me. It's a choice.
You know, we Baptists don't get many 'signs and wonders'.
(We allow the Holy Spirit to work as long as He fits in with
the Sunday morning bulletin.) I've had enough 'signs and wonders'
to get my attention. But let me tell you, I believe because
I have chosen to believe! I'll believe if I never see
another sign or wonder.
I
believe Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life (by
making right choices for 33 years), drank the cup and became
all my sin and, then, died on a cross to pay for all my sin.
And three days later, He kicked the lid off that tomb to prove
He knew what He was doing! And, to top it all off, He said
He'd take my sin and I could have His righteousness ... for
FREE! I have believed because I know a good deal when I see
one.
The
bottom line is this: God wants a relationship with us. He
wants to be our friend. He is the friend that sticks closer
than a brother. And, if there's a problem with the friendship,
it's us - not Him. We may not be spending enough time with
Him; talking to Him; reading His letter to us ... basically,
just hanging with Him. How do you build a strong relationship
with anyone if you don't spend time with them?
So,
my disheartened friend who wrote me, you may give up on God.
But He hasn't given up on you! And if one of us has
to give up, it'd be better you than Him. He made this promise:
"I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Now either He meant it, or He's a liar. And I've chosen to
believe He meant it.
- Mark
P.S.
Here's a book suggestion: The Grace
Awakening by Chuck Swindoll. It's incredible!
Other
links for Spiritual Help:
http://billygraham.org/believe/stepsToPeace.asp
http://www.thekristo.com/flashform.html
There
is Hope
All original
contents © 2003-2009 Mark Lowry Productions, Inc.
