Why Does God Put Up With You?

If you're a Christian, then you probably have had an occasion to get into a conversation with a non believer about their faith. You ask them why there aren't a Christian, and you're likely to get some heart felt arguments laced with emotion about how someone in their life, a "Christian" rejected them, didn't quite live up to "their" expectation of what a "Christian" should be. Maybe they were even rejected by a church because of what they looked like, they weren't wanted.

If you were faced with a life or death decision, would you ever let anyone else answer for you? I don't think for one minute that standing on the precipice like that, that anyone would EVER let someone else make a decision like that for one moment, but that is exactly what they are doing when they let how someone has treated them, to risk their eternal salvation.

Think about it.

We will all die a physical death at some point in our lives. When we do we will wind up in one of two places, heaven or hell. Hebrews 9:27, "Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment," The Bible tells us that.

For believers, "To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord." 2 Corinthians 5:8 (NIV)

For non believers, " If anyone's name is not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." Revelation 20:15 (NIV).

This is not like those days in school, where people used to kid about hell being a fun place to be. It will be the absolute last place to be. But the amazing thing is, that everyone has a choice about whether or not they want to wind up there. God has given human's free will. God is such a God of perfect love, that He doesn't want people in heaven who don't want to be there serving Him, just because he created them.

If you have ever been in any kind of relationship, you know free will is something you have NO control over. Sure you might influence someone to lean one way or another, but ultimately the choice is ours. God understands that.

That is why He is working so hard at sending people to tell you about Him. It's like being sent a engrave invitation to the best party in the world. It will be the party that surpasses all parties. The one you don't want to miss out on attending. By the R.S.V. P. part is up to you.

Stop believing the lies that if God was so loving, why would he want to send people to hell! He doesn't. The people who wind up there will be there based on their own choice.

Throughout their lives, they have had countless times where someone told them about Jesus, what He did and how to get to heaven. Perhaps it was on Christmas or Easter, or just going to church with a friend.

If you heard about it and didn't respond, the choice has been made by you that you rejected God. Well wait! You might say, I didn't say yes or no. That is it! If you don't say yes, by default you are technically saying No to God.

Stop waiting for the opportunity to make a choice. Stop thinking that one day, when you've lived life on your own terms perhaps then, you will make a decision. Well good luck with that one. I don't know of one person who knows exactly how much time they have left in this world. What if you don't make it that far, and your life is taken away in an instant? What then?

By then, it will be too late.

God's got a great 1 step program for getting you to heaven. It is that simple. Just like a gift. There is NOTHING you have to do by way of earning this gift, because YOU can't. No one can. It's the perfect gift of believing that Jesus Christ was sent by God, as His Son, to die for the payment of your sins because He requires payment for our wrongdoings. Jesus paid a cost for those sins, His perfect life that knew no sin. He was the only one who could do it. When He died on the cross, ALL your sins, past, present and future sins, were all paid for, by His blood.

I don't know anyone who would die for a perfect stranger willingly, but Jesus did it for You because He loves you. He wants you to be a part of His eternal home in Heaven, where there will be NO more death, NO more tears, No more pain. (Revelation 21:4).

The best part is Jesus didn't stay dead, as He promised, He was resurrected on the third day and went back to Heaven to prepare a place for us when we get there. The amazing thing is that He has been gone well over 2000 years, and since He hasn't come back for you yet, you know He's been working on it all this time. If God created the world in 6 days, imagine what your heavenly home must look like?

Why let what someone did you to, sway your opinion of what is right when it comes to God and YOUR salvation. God wants YOU on your terms to come to Him, not based on what someone else did. He wants the choice to be ultimately yours. Still undecided, pick up a Bible, start with the Book of John, and see what God has done for You and ask Him to reveal Himself to You without any outside interference from anyone else. I promise you, it will be powerful!!! You don't want to miss it.

The choice is yours ultimately.

There will come a time however when time will run out for you. Either physical death will claim your life before you made that decision, or your heart will simply grow too hard and you will no longer hear the call of God on your life. Make the choice now. Make it for YOU!

Don't wait. Don't let what someone said or did, make that choice for you. When you arrive on the day of judgment, God won't accept your plea that someone else ruined your choice for you. It is the one decision that is truly a life or death decision.

Make that choice today! You never know what the future holds for you.  If you're ready to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, it's really simple. Simply say the prayer below with all your heart. God knows where you're coming from.

Father, I come to You, confessing my sin and asking for Your forgiveness. I thank you, Lord, for You have promised that if I will confess my sins, You will be faithful to forgive me and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I want to turn from my sins and live in Your will. I ask that You give me the power through Your Holy Spirit to live the right way.

I thank You that Jesus Christ died on the cross, paying the price for my sins, and then rose from the dead. I accept Him now as my Savior, my Lord, and my Friend. Thank You for giving me new life in Christ. I surrender myself to You; make me what You want me to be. In Jesus' name. Amen!

Remember when you say this prayer, you may not experience anything new. But what you will notice is when you go back to doing the things you know were wrong before, the Holy Spirit, living inside of you, will remind you to make different choices, it will make you feel guilty if you go against God in the future. It is that perfect reminder that is proof that You have been changed and are now born again. Don't let anyone tell you different.

Next get yourself a Bible! Can't afford one, download a free Bible from any of the app stores. If you need physical copy, contact me, and I'll make sure you get one. There is no greater gift in the world than your salvation and where you will spend eternity.

Get plugged into a church in your area. As a new believer, you will need some encouragement and think of church as your spiritual gym. Your vitamin B12 booster to keep you going through the week. You might find you simply can't get enough of God at this point. Good for you. Keep going, the more you eat of God's Word, the more power you will have in your Spiritual life. The battles will come. Friends and family might not understand your new life, but this is your life. Live it for God. It's now how we begin our lives that matter, but how we end them.

Trust me, if you just made this commitment, WELCOME to the family! It will be the best decision YOU have ever made in this life. If you have questions or need prayer, please reach out to me on Stevenkat27@gmail.com. I'd love to pray with you or answer any questions I can. If not, I'll help you find the answers you need.