"God's Grace for Idiots"

Okay, I know, idiots may be a little strong; but here is the thing: If you really wanted to be have a 'New Life' in Jesus Christ, then it would be so! That is really the problem! Those that have not, have not, because they ask not; and when they do ask, they ask amiss. (I took that from James) What am I saying here, that they really have not asked to be Saved? No, that is not the whole picture, but the canvas on which the picture is painted. In other words; to be Saved is the beginning of our 'New Life' in Jesus Christ, and the canvas of our life has been made new; a nice clean surface on which a picture is to be painted. It is God, by His Grace, that paints this New picture of our life in Christ Jesus; and when we sin, it is as though vandals have came and spotted His painting; or better yet, as though a child has disturbed His Father's masterpiece. If we really wanted God to change us, and to make us into His Image, then that is what would happen; but we see ourselves as something else, and why is that? Because of our sin that is remembered; but, remembered by who? Well, it is not God who remembers them, because He has forgiven them as far as the east is from the west. It is our doing, that does the undoing! It is our choice to dig up that old sin, and to start doing again what has been done away with. But the real question we must stop and ask ourselves is really quite simple, and it is taken from the Book of John chapter 5. There was a man, who had an infirmity for 38 years; and he lay next to the pool called 'Bethesda', waiting for the 'troubling of the water'; which when it happened, those that got into the water first, after the troubling, were healed of whatever sickness or infirmity they had. Now, try and picture this, if you will; here is a man, who has a problem, and has had it for a very long time; yet he has failed to get into the water at the time of the troubling, because he can not get off his bed, and into the water; and his excuse is, that he has no one to put him into the water, but that while he is coming, another steps in before him. Do you see the plight of this man? Do you feel his pain? Did Jesus? In verse 6, it says: "When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, He saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? " That was a strange question to ask a man that had been laying there and waiting to be the first to get into the water; over and over, he waited and failed. But really, this is the question which needs to be asked of ourselves: Do we really want to be made Whole? In other words, do we really want God to change our lives into this 'Perfect Picture' that He has in mind for us; or do we want to have just some things changed, but not the others? Well, that is not the way it works! Because, the first thing that must happen, is for the creation of that blank canvas; which means that everything must be given over to Him. But the first thing that must happen within our heart, is that we must truly decide that we want to be made whole. And when we have come to the decision, Guess What Happens? "Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and Walk." (John 5:8)