No Risk...No Reward?

The other evening a friend of mine and I were having a discussion. He is 1 of 2 pals I have that have been interested in the faith for a long time, but are still having some trouble taking that step to give their lives to Christ. The long and short of it was that he didn't know who to believe (though the conversation lasted the better part of an hour and I was off-shift at the time...that's essentially what it came down to). He had tried reading the Bible but kept saying that it did not make sense. This was interesting food for thought, but I wasn't surprised. The Word itself says in 1 Corinthians 2:14:

"The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned."

This is one thing in particular I am fearful of. Non-Christians reading the Word in isolation don't know what to believe because they do not take the crucial step of believing in God first. It's like trying to come into contact with God without commitment. If your heart isn't geared towards truly understanding the character of God, how can you try to seek Him? Psalms 34:8 says "Taste and see that the LORD is good". God is and always will be a personal God.

Listening in on part 2 of "Stop Acting Like a Christian, Just Be One" at LifeChurch.tv provided some fresh insight on the matter. I have always held to the tenet that people make what they want of their lives. They'll advance all reasons for avoiding situations that they think might cause them harm, and advance all the benefits for the situations that they think might being them well-being (even if it really doesn't). In fact, it is often perceived that living the life of a Christian is "hard". The world says this and it's commonly believed so as a result many people will try to investigate the lifestyle while being on the outside. But what many people don't know is that...you don't change yourself when you become a Christian. Christ changes you. If you could change yourself--you wouldn't need Christ. The Word itself says:

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

The most difficult part of the process is surrendering control of one's life to Jesus. Draw closer to God and He will draw closer to You. Stay far from Him--stay on the other side of the street, look through the window or binoculars or whatever--and you're doing nothing but wasting time. We all have choices to make...and all of them involve a measure of risk. You can give up the world's carnality to save your life--or you can give up your life to embrace the world's point of view. Many of us avoid this because we don't deem it as a decision that needs to be made. But quite frankly, not taking this seriously means you've already made a decision--and it's one that won't benefit you in eternity. The time is ever closer. Where does your fealty lie?

Blessings.

Josh