I'd
like to become a Christian. But I'm afraid I couldn't hold up under the troubles
I’d experience if I did. Couldn't I put it off until near the end of my life,
and then receive Jesus as Savior and Lord?
First, God promises to give any who trust in Jesus the strength necessary to
remain faithful to Him. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote, "... I am confident
of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until
the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6). God is the One who brings us to
faith in Jesus. We are God's workmanship, as Paul put it (Ephesians 2: 10); and
what He begins in us, He promises to complete.
'Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" Paul asks. "Shall tribulation,
or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ...
But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For
I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is
in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35,37‑39). You need not fear whether you can
maintain your faith as a Christian; God will take care of that.
Mightn't you put it off until the end of your life? Perhaps. But remember, you
never know when you're going to die, and you might put off trusting Jesus too
long. Putting of receiving Jesus until just before you die is a terrible risk:
you might die suddenly and not have time to trust in Jesus. And besides‑when you
make a decision time and again throughout life, It becomes a habit. You might be
about to die, but still put off trusting Jesus, just out of habit.
There's this to think about. too. You can't treat Jesus like a doormat. He wants
to be your Lord, not your slave. The real question is not whether you want to be
protected from eternal suffering, but whether you are willing to love and obey
Jesus‑whether you really want Him to be your Lord. That is why Jesus said, "Not
everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he
who does the will of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 7:2 1). If you really
want Jesus to forgive you of sin and save you from eternal punishment, you must
be willing to make Him Lord of your life. Waiting until you are on your deathbed
would be a strong indication that you never really wanted Him to be your Lord.
I guess I can
understand that
If you would like to know Jesus, to have your sins forgiven, and to become a
Christian, you can pray this prayer, trusting in Him in your heart and casting
yourself on Him for mercy, and you can be assured that He will become your
Savior and Lord:
Lord Jesus, I acknowledge that You are my Creator, that together with the
Father and the Holy Spirit, You created all the universe. I agree that for this
reason I owe You absolute obedience and love and honor. But Jesus, I have
dishonored You. I have sinned in many ways, doing what I should not have done
and leaving undone what I should have done. Because of my sins, I fall short of
Your glory, and deserve Your judgment. But Jesus, I am sorry for my sins, and
ask You to forgive me. I want to be changed, Lord, but I cannot change myself,
yet I am willing for You to change me, and I give You my life for that purpose.
Forgive me for my sins, place on me Your righteousness, and reconcile me
to God the Father. Though I know that the life to which You have called me is
difficult, and I know that I could never live it on my own, still I trust in You
to work in me, to change me to become more like You, and I thank you for the
presence of other Christians through whom You can encourage and change me.
Thank You for dying to pay the penalty for my sins on the cross, and for
rising from the dead in victory over sin and death; and thank You for giving me
that victory! Amen.
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