TAKE IT BY FORCE!
I Samuel 17:45 David said to the Philistine (Goliath), “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”
What boldness and courage! I am sure that probably everyone expected Goliath to kill David, or to play with him as a child might with a bug before killing it. Even David’s own brothers didn’t think he had a chance to kill Goliath let alone come back to them unharmed. They and all the rest of the Hebrews knew what Goliath could do to someone in battle. He was a proven warrior, and David was just a shepherd boy. In their thinking there was no way David could win, and David was a fool for even trying.
Have you ever been in a situation or known of someone in a situation that all common since said that there was no chance of success, but the unexpected happened and there was success? If you are a Christian chances are you are one of those people that are proving others wrong, because for every person that says yes to Jesus there are many more that say they will never last. They say this commitment to Jesus will end up an empty disappointment like it has for others. In the book “Pilgrim’s Progress” by John Bunyan, his fictional character Christian is discouraged by family, friends and even town folk to not attempt becoming a Christian. They told him that that pilgrimage would and always has ended in disappointment and death. They encouraged him to enjoy his family, work and the good things of life. They said that only a fool would believe in something they could not see, and the rewards of this life far outweigh the dreams of the sweet by and by that no one knows for sure will ever come to pass.
Well, in this book Christian did not take their advice, and he continued to believe and pursue what he had read in the Bible. While this book is fiction, the multitudes down through time who have rejected the disbelief and discouragement of the world and continued to pursue a life for Jesus are not fictional!
Jesus tells us that while all are invited to his wedding banquet very few care to come. (Matt 22:1-14) Part of the problem is that the road to heaven is narrow and few choose it’s way. The reason it is narrow is that Jesus is the only way to heaven and the Heavenly Father. (Jn 14:6) Jesus is not a way as the Mormons and the world believes. In their thinking the road that leads to heaven is a wide road. They think as long as a person tries to be good and is sincere, then God will find them worthy of heaven. What they refuse to remember is the one that has been transgressed against is the one that sets the conditions for reconciliation. God tells us what we must do to get right with him, and it is not people telling God the conditions for reconciliation.
Being is Christian is not an easy thing to do. Many have become Christians and turned back to the world. In Matthew 13:18-23 Jesus gives a parable concerning this very thing. The field is the people of the world. God sows his seed or conviction of sin, the righteousness of Christ and the judgment of God in the hearts of everyone. Some people want nothing to do with God and reject him and his call to repent and receive Jesus immediately. Another person wants to get right with God and receives Jesus, but because they do not take it seriously and learn true doctrine they soon lose interest and with the trials of life they turn from Jesus and back to their former ways. The next person receives Jesus too, but they have divided loyalty and they desire for their former ways lure them away from a committed life and relationship with Jesus. Only the next person will stay true to their commitment to Jesus. Only one out of four will make it to heaven!
Being a Christian is not for the uncommitted. In Matthew 11:12 Jesus says, “From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful men lay hold of it.” Jesus provided salvation for everyone, but only those who want it bad enough will obtain it. The Holy Spirit will help us, and keep us unto our salvation if we really want it. (II Tim 1:12) Even the most weak and young can be assured that nothing can keep them from the love that is in Christ Jesus, the salvation of their souls. (Rom 8:37-39) Like David we must keep our eyes on Jesus and the great reward he has for us. Hebrews 12:1-3 tells us, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
The victory is for all who want it with all their heart. The battle over sin and the grave has already been won by Jesus. Our Goliath has been defeated. No longer does sin have to rob us of forgiveness and reconciliation with God. We no longer need to go to hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth for all eternity. For all who love and trust in Jesus, the joys and blessings of heaven await us! What the world didn’t give us the world or Satan can not take away. Only we can give it up as with the three in the example of the sower I talked about. As David ran to his enemy Goliath shouting that he was coming in the name of the Lord, let us too go through our day with that shout of victory in our heart! We come in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ our Savior and lover of our souls!
Prayer: Thank you Lord Jesus for saving our souls and loving us so much. Please keep us close to you and help us to keep you close to our heart. Please bring us to our great reward of being with you for all eternity. We love you Jesus and we ask this in your name.
