Pro-Tip for Eternal Life
This is Day 28 of my 40 day Lenten Blog.
"Whoever lives and believes in me shall never die." (John 11:25).
Why do we refuse to believe? I'm not talking about all the atheists out there. I'm talking about all of us professing Christians.
Christ gave us a pro-tip, a life hack, for eternal life. And not eternal life in this miserable world but a life in eternal bliss. All we have to do is believe. So why don't I?
Of course, I believe that I believe. Right up to the point where I have to live out that belief. It's easy to claim to believe and even to believe I do believe. It's much more difficult to demonstrate that I believe. And that is the real belief as James tells us.
I don't mean serving food to the hungry. That's good, wonderful even, but even the non-believers do that. I'm not talking about attending church, though I should and do. But there are plenty of non-believers in the pews.
But how well do I turn the other cheek. Really? If someone asks me to carry their pack for a mile do I carry it two? How much of my life am I willing to sacrifice for people I don't even know? How many feet have I washed? Would I truly be willing to die for Christ?
How much time do I spend with God? The great excuse is that I don't have much time. But of course I do. How much time do I waste on Wordle and Quordle or other meaningless pursuits? How many times when I do take the time to pray does my mind wander? I may be on my knees with my head bowed but I'm thinking about something else.
If I believed, really, truly believed, then I would obey Christ, and I would spend nearly all of my free time with Him. I would not care about the glory of this world or the riches or comforts. But I cannot believe on my own. Only Christ can help my unbelief. That is why I must ask Him to. And if I do, and sincerely seek to truly believe, He will answer my prayer.
R.C. VanLandingham is the author of the Peter Puckett series, a Christian children's fantasy that explores what it means to know and love Christ through exciting adventures. His books and blog can be found at rcvanlandingham.com.