TD7-I wanna believe in Jesus
I got this title from lyrics of a favorite song of mine. It’s not uncommon for “Two Step” with a “Time Bomb” intro to pop up on my playlist. Could you imagine, Dave, walking out on stage in heaven, the band erupting into a song, and then the angles joining in? I have no doubt, Jesus himself would be in the lawn, dancing and singing along! Haha, that’s probably selfish isn’t it! But, wanting to believe is an interesting place to be in….as so many of us have been there before, and may be there now.
When I hear someone say, I wanna believe in Jesus, I often think, you already do. What you want, is to let go of everything that’s holding you back. What you want is to boldly step out, acknowledge and declare, hand it over to God and follow his will and plan for your life.
What I think a lot of people find themselves saying is….i DON’T want to believe in Jesus. Why would I say that? Because more than likely, you know the way you live your life is displeasing to God. But, it feels so good and who’d wanna give that up? Who wants to live for someone else and follow any other plan than your own? Who would want to live out the will of God, especially knowing what awaits you as a follower of Christ in today’s world. It’s much easier to live day to day without the truth guilt.
“Giving in” to God’s will for your life is not easy. And it’s especially hard to do when you’ve served no one but yourself for so long. But, let me continue to make it worse, because, here’s the reality of it from a nonbeliever’s perspective. First, what will most likely be the most difficult at the beginning is optics. Yes, people will (or should) notice. And that may cause some folks to distance themselves from you. Following Christ isn’t exactly the most popular thing to do and nobody wants to be that weirdo, or an associate thereof. And then also, comes the discomfort of the unknown. Will you have to leave and go somewhere? How will you live?
Folks, it’s a huge leap to make. It feels like there’s no net in case you fall. But also, you can’t just say, ok I gave it to God, he’ll pick me up at 9 in the morning. He’s not gonna send an email with instructions. You have to seek it. And if you have no relationship with Christ, “clarity”, may be pretty confusing. You have to ask yourself….do you know what someone else wants if you don’t know them? Seems unlikely, however, anything is possible I suppose. But in seeking God’s will, you will be in constant communication, constantly asking for his vision and understanding.
Fear of the unknown is probably something most can understand. Most of us are probably familiar with some basic teachings from the Bible. And here’s what we know from that….if you believe, accept, repent and follow….you’ll find yourself standing before Christ when you die. If you deny and reject, you too will be denied and rejected. It seems more reasonable to me, to fear what I do know. And I know that without Jesus, I am %100 s.o.l.
Stepping out and following Jesus won’t be easy, folks. I promise you this, I know the struggle. But we don’t do it for here and now. We do it to escape death and live for eternity in heaven with God the Father and his son, Jesus. It’s ok to step forward, folks! There may appear to be no footing at first, but it’s the most solid ground you could walk on. And when your time comes, you will be greatly rewarded.