Belief it or not

John 6:47

Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, He who believes has everlasting life.”

The Problem:

Where do personal beliefs come from? What is their point of origin? For most, it begins when we first feel discomfort. It happens when a loving parent soothes our first physical distress. Our eyes see, and ears hear how a mother ministers to our needs. Even though our minds cannot yet process the cause of our discomfort, we believe that our mother or father becomes that source of tender relief. We have now developed the basis for the following conviction: our parental unit will always and forever provide us with comfort. This we thoroughly accept as true. No doubt at all! It's a certainty! Whatever pain or anguish we experience; Mom or Dad will always be there to provide the antidote. Alas, sooner or later, they are not, and the bubble bursts! (It’s a shame that we don’t realize this will only be the first “Pop!” of many “bubbles” in our lives.)

We continue our quest for other things in which to believe; new principles and creeds to call our own. We journey through the world and post mental sentries to be on the lookout for the “next big thing.” Once found, we can deposit it into our recently-emptied belief box. However, there is another factor lying just beneath the surface that affects each attempt at a new belief. Within each of us at birth, there has been placed a deep desire for the discovery of our purpose, an unquenchable thirst for fulfillment. Without the discovery, there’s a constant feeling of numbing dissatisfaction. Someone was once quoted as saying: "The two most important days of our lives were the day we were born and the day we discovered why."

You say to yourself, “There has to be something else! Isn’t there something else?” But most of us don’t want to do the hard work. We tend to seize what’s in our reach, close at hand. Some put faith in education, leaning on and learning from the teachings of Man, the orders and structures of the universe. “This might calm my nerves; give me a solid purpose,” you say. Maybe yes; probably not! Others worship at the altar of mammon; the latest compulsion to attend services for the “Almighty dollar, Daddy Bigbucks!” We soon discover, however, that worldly riches sit precariously balanced on the edge of our lives, ready to vanish with the next job loss or “drop in the Dow.” Still others begin a quest for a more sensual belief technique; searching for answers and fulfillment through carnality. HIV-AIDS, abortion, divorce. “How’s that working out for you?” Not to be too blunt, but the list of indecent possibilities in today’s world is endless and continues to grow. All the while, our life spent here on earth looking for purpose continues to ebb!

The Promise:

Jesus Christ spoke these words. First, He told us a truth, a whole truth, and nothing but a truth. He didn’t have to swear on a Bible; He WAS the Bible! Do you want something to believe in? Believe in that! That’s a great start! Next, He makes a promise to us. He tells us that if we believe He is Who He really says He is, we will live forever together with Him in paradise. “Can this be true? That seems way too simple.” But there are no hidden meanings in this Scripture. No deeper theological concepts on which we need to postulate, formulate, or ruminate. It’s all right there, my friends, right out in the open. “The truth is: Believe in Me; live forever in Paradise.” That’s it!

“Wait a minute! I just remembered. It can’t be that simple!” Man has developed a faulty concept that if something is free, it can’t be worth anything. Right? Sbagliato! Mal! Falsch! Incorrecto! Wrong! It absolutely, positively has to be, emphatically needs to be God’s gift to us. It cannot be earned or merited. We can’t graduate from it atop “ivory towers,” we can’t negotiate for it through financial institutions, we can’t even bargain for it through physical relationships. It’s free! Complimentary! No charge! And here’s why there’s no charge! God’s grace can never have a price tag. No form of currency is an adequate tender for His incomprehensible blessings. All we have to do is believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and discover our purpose by never releasing that belief. It truly is that simple. And it truly is wonderful! God so loved us, His children, that He sent His only Son to earth to soothe us, to care for us, to redeem us. It’s all there in “The Finer Print.” Do you want to believe something? Believe that! 

~ John 6:47

Jesus said: “I tell you the truth, He who believes has everlasting life.”