Belief

It’s seems like a long time ago now but it was only about 4 or 5 years ago when my wife, myself and 3 other couples went on a cruise.  Did we ever have a blast, we were treated as royalty. You would walk up to a door and before you could blink an eye it opened for you. Life   on that cruise was wonderful; leave the room and when you returned it was clean and ready for you to mess up again. The sad thing is that it was all over too soon and now just a wonderful memory that will never be forgotten. I told you that to tell you this; as we returned home we stopped to fill up the tank with gas, while the van was being fueled I went into the store to get something and I had a most embarrassing moment. You see I had been walking up to doors and they would open; know what? This door didn’t and I hit it head on.  Just a reminder that everything in life is not automatic I think with all the conveniences sometimes we forget.  I am afraid that many have come to the conclusion that just because their mother and dad were Christian that somehow that makes them Christians too. That is not the case and then we get too busy and we start to think well when things slow down I will take the time to make sure? When I finish my degree or when I get certified, get married, have children. If we aren’t careful our life will be over. It happened to the rich farmer in Luke chapter 12 life got by him and then one night when he wasn’t expecting it he lost the most precious thing, his soul. It almost happened to a suicidal man in Acts chapter 16.

Acts 16:27  And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled.

Here was a man who almost took a short cut to hell; but this night would turn out to be the best night of his life when he asked one simple question. 

Acts 16: 3O  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? So they told him

Acts 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.

The message is still the same today “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ” but many have gotten that word believe confused with feelings. Let me explain the word believe this way. Let’s say I put up a cable across a short point at the Grand Canyon. The length of the cable is about 10 feet from point to point, but beneath the cable was 5 miles to the bottom of the canyon. I look you in the eyes and say “do you believe that I could roll this wheel barrow across this cable. You would answer sure I believe you can do that; and then I do it. I then ask you if you believe that I could fill this wheel borrow up with rocks and roll it back? You reply sure I believe you can do that; and I do it. Then I ask you if you believe if I could put you in the wheel borrow and roll you across to which you reply NO! You can believe that there’s a heaven, you can believe that people are going there. You can believe that Jesus Christ died and rose again but you really don’t believe until you put yourself into the belief. You see had I at anytime fell off the cable and plunged to my death it would not have effected you one bit,  simply because you didn’t put trust in your belief.  Is your belief one that is in the wheel borrow or one that is on the side line?  Don’t be like the Rich Farmer and find yourself in a place you don’t want to be. Instead be like the Jailer and put your belief in the Lord Jesus. Have a great weekend and be in your place Sunday morning….Church.