"A Line in the Sand"

 "Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also." (John 8:19 KJV)

  "If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don't understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. You see, we don't go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who said, "Let there be light in the darkness," has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves." (2 Corinthians 4:3-7 NLT)

 Well then, isn't this interesting? We are speaking about the Light of the world, isn't that the topic in which Jesus first brought up? Light, as it does, brightens up the surroundings and exposes things which might otherwise be hidden. Light shines in darkness, exposing that which is trying to stay hidden and out of sight. What is it that makes people hate the name of Jesus? 

 There are things going on behind the walls we have built around our lives, things that are making it more and more, shall we say, controversial, to take a stand for Jesus Christ. I can't and won't complain about it, because it is meant to happen. Jesus clearly said, "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first." (John 15:18 NLT) If we actually make it to that verse, I will most likely be somewhat disappointed! 

 Basically, it all comes down to one choice: You either accept God's Son as your personal Savior, or you perish! The majority of the world is just not okay with that, plain and simple! Nothing has really changed, it is still the same, just on a much bigger level. Today, news travels as fast as the speed of light; anything that is made public, is made public a million times faster. 

 There is no stopping that which is meant to be, because it must happen just as it is written. The strange and totally crazy thing is, those that are against God's way, cannot see the way that it all plays out. If they could, then they would not press those buttons that they are pressing; they would not shake their fists at God, if they knew what was in store for them. Or would they? 

 I can totally understand how that is, as I too once had that kind of a heart. My life was more important than any threat of hell, because if there was a hell, it wouldn't change the direction in which I wanted to live. But, without even that option set before me, God reached down and touched my heart. When I received Jesus into my life, I wasn't worried about hell, I was amazed that He did what He did, and I wanted to know Him with all of my heart! 

 That my friend is the true line in the sand; not that we are trying to make our options heaven or hell: but whether or not we want to have a personal relationship with our Creator...

"We know that we are children of God and that the world around us is under the control of the evil one. And we know that the Son of God has come, and he has given us understanding so that we can know the true God. And now we live in fellowship with the true God because we live in fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the only true God, and he is eternal life. Dear children, keep away from anything that might take God's place in your hearts." (1 John 5:19-21 NLT)