This week, a boy told me that he believes that God is perfectly holy. And this youngster admitted that he (the boy) is not (holy). He knows that his sin has offended God, and that God would be just in punishing him. He knows that all sin carries the death penalty, and he cannot save himself from this predicament. He said that he knows and believes that Jesus is God, that Jesus became a man to pay the price for our sins (death) and that Jesus rose again from the grave. So what’s the problem?.
This boy said he is not sure if he is ready for heaven. My expectation was not that he was unsaved, but that he was just unsure of his salvation. He needed the assurance of eternal life. 1 Jn. 5:13 says,
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Nope. He was sure that God’s word was true, but he just didn’t feel ready to commit. There it was, the key to eternal life, and he didn’t receive it!
The story is told of a tightrope walker by the name of The Great Blondin. He amazed people with his tightrope act across the Niagara river. Blondin asked for a volunteer to go across in a wheelbarrow. The spectators said they believed that he could do it, but actually climbing into the wheelbarrow was another matter entirely! Finally, his own manager got up on his back and he successfully (to nobody’s surprise) made the trek across.
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Head knowledge, or intellectual faith doesn’t impress God. If you say you trust God with your life, do you trust Him enough to climb in the wheelbarrow.
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Lord, in Jesus' name, I ask that you give me faith to trust you wholeheartedly.
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19 comments:
I ended up having a lengthy conversation with someone recently about this. I wonder if some of the issue is that they don't feel worthy of that level of love from a perfect God. Grace is intoxicating when you do drink it, but you have to accept the gift that's offered as simply that - a free gift.
I'm reminded of 'The Mission' where Robert De Niro's character saw his trangression for what it was and couldn't accept the truth of forgivness when the boy cut his burden off of him. that's a hard pill to swallow, but it's beautiful when you do do it.
Nope. I'm a scaredy cat. But you know, God doesn't let that stop him. He puts me in the wheelbarrow, all the while distracting me with his great words of love.
Right on, Craver! "Faith without works is dead..."
My eldest daughter was the same way at a younger age - knowing all the facts, but afraid to commit. I heartily respect that position because I think it indicates, at least in some part, the understanding that there is a cost.
When I share my faith these days I try to make sure the hearer knows that there is a cost to true discipleship (in my younger days I didn't want to jeopardize the chances of someone saying "yes" by introducing that part - how small my faith was). And I think there's a connection between counting the cost and trust (ultimately the cost is low when we know and trust God).
I think A Musing hit it on the head -- the hesitation may indicate the seriousness with which one considers this commitment. Too many people jump right into faith when it feels good then abandon ship when things get hard. I believe this is the "second seed" of Jesus' parable of the sower.
Craver, you're right, it takes some guts to follow this Savior.
I have to agree with the ladies - counting the cost is important so you understand both what you're walking towards as well as what you're walking away from.
Yes -- good for that boy for not feeling rushed into something he wasn't ready for. Too often people come to Christ in haste, only later to realize they're not quite ready to die to self...we want eternal life, peace, hope...but are we ready to consider the cost?
Oh, I jumped in 'cause all the cool kids were doing it...and being cool is the most important thing in the world, unless you aren't cool, then you wouldn't understand...
;-)
He is so NOT a slave to cool, folks. Even So... is the real deal.
But now that you mention it JD, that's funny because some people are going to church or claiming Christ in their lives because they think it counts as cool to somebody. That'll change.
At some point though, it must come… the realization that if God wants something, I MUST do it; it would be foolish not to! It might be that all of the sudden I get it, and it makes perfect sense to me, or it may be that I do not totally understand, but trust that God knows what He is doing. He may even be asking something that will not make sense to us ever, on this side of heaven.
The process might be as varied as the way people enter a swimming pool, but whether we go an inch at a time, or boldly jump headfirst. In the final analysis, what matters most is whether we are completely in the pool.
I did not switch from wheelbarrow to pool. I added the latter to deepen our understanding of the first one.
Craver, Amen. If we don't trust him with our all, I'm afraid we may not be trusting him at all. But we can be slow learners here.
I know people must start and then grow in faith. But neither can anyone be holding back.
Wow. I wouldn't be the one in the wheelbarrow. Even Houdini would not be able to cope with a nervous wreck up there. Ha.
I think the diving in comes with maturity - having walked long enough to know the trustworthy nature of that which you're trusting in - but not at first, certainly not at first.
I frequently think about the wonderful scripture in Mark 9:24 - "I do believe, help my unbelief" because I am so often "unbelieving" even with the Holy Spirit and a close walk - and if I had neither - it is no wonder that God must Himself give us the faith to believe.
Craver,
KAT..........
knowledge
assent
trust
2 for 3 is great in baseball, but does not bring eternal life.
Great point.
Thank you Craver.
Uh, Craver...isn't time for a new post yet? I've been waiting and waiting...*tapping foot*
Craver,
Good post. It's really good to hear from you again!
Dave
Hey there. Sorry I was thinking so hard I didn't have time to get around to your thinking blogger meme until now. But, at last!
Thanks again, and here it is...Thought Spin
I hear that foot tapping Eve, but I spent my allotted blogging time creating that "Stinking Blogger Award."
Thanks for the responses. The wheelbarrow analogy can be taken in a couple of ways. I was mainly thinking of saving faith, but after receiving the gift of eternal life, there are still plenty of opportunities to demonstrate total confidence in God.
The main point still stands, though. If God is holding the wheelbarrow, there is no good reason for us to hold back.
Yup, I love that Stinkin' blogger award-I'll have to send it to my hubby next time I skunk him at Cribbage :)
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