"Joy To The World"

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people." (Luke 2:10) Watching some of the specials yesterday on the Fox News Channel, I could not help notice how there were so many variations of how, and even where Jesus was born; however, the one thing which they all seemed to have in common was the angel's declaration of 'Tidings of Great Joy'. It seems to be one of the greatest arguments among those that choose not to believe in God, that if God were real, then why is there so much suffering in the world? When you are confronted with that question, it is never easy to supply a really good answer; mostly because, in order to see the reason, a person must believe that there is a God, and that He is Holy. Trying to tell someone that God loves them, and has given Himself for them, just does not compute until they see their need for Salvation. This is what the angel had declared: that Salvation had come to mankind! All the suffering, death, disease and hate that is in this world, is the result of one thing: sin. Sin is the reason for all that has plagued the earth for thousands of years. But God; being full of Grace and Mercy, has provided mankind with an 'easy button' (not to copy any one's slogan). However, to be able to press this button for an instant and complete redemption from sin, a person must Know and Believe for themselves; no one else can press it for you! Which brings me to a very touchy subject: receiving Salvation. I have notice something over the last 30 years, a kind of dumbing down of Alter Calls; maybe it is just taking place in some churches; but I fear it has become something of a normal event. Maybe it's just me, but there seems to be more and more Alter Calls, which are not really very meaningful; for example, you hear the one giving the Call, say something like this: If you would like to receive Christ into your heart, then repeat this prayer in your heart after me; right where you are. Okay, maybe I am being over reactive; but I really have a problem with making this Greatest Gift ever given to man, a secret ballot. I truly believe that there must be a 'turning' that takes place in the heart of a man; which then must, with humility, cause a man to turn to God. It is not being legalistic or anything, I just think that if someone wants to be Saved, then they must actually want it; they must see their need, and need it; which means, stepping forward, and saying, "Yes; I need Jesus!" You see; once you really see your need, and the Gift that has been given to supply that need, then Joy comes instantly, once you receive it!!! "For whosoever shall be ashamed of Me and of My words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He shall come in His Own Glory, and in His Father's, and of His holy angels." (Luke 9:26)