The author and the reader...

The belief in Christ is supposed to be a simple decision. Jesus said in Matthew 11:30, "For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Coming to this belief might take some time, but the choice itself is not that complicated. How is it then that so many churches make the decision for Christ to be so complicated and legalistic? It is not the will of our Lord to burden us down with more than we can handle. Yet how many churches burden their members with more than they can handle, often to the point of burn-out. Is this what our responsibility calls for? Even more, is this what God desires for us? Would it not be better to spread the needs around? Everyone pitching in together. When everyone works together just a little, the overwhelming burdens become light.

I used to think that witnessing and "bearing fruit" for Christ meant that I had to be a door-to-door salesman, 'selling' the gospel to others. What a lie I had believed! To go from a life without Christ, to a life with Him is fairly straight-forward.

First, you must believe the bible (God's word) is 100% true. You can't believe in some of it, while rejecting the rest. It is not a "smorgasbord" of truths and half-truths. The bible is either 100% true, or 100% false. We are instructed to be either "hot" or "cold" (Revelation 3:16), that is, to believe or not to believe. Christ talks about us being definitive in Matthew 5:37, "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes' or 'No, no'; anything beyond these is of evil". This applies to every area of our lives.

Second, if we accept the bible as being 100% true, then we must next decide of whether to obey it. This is the most important step of the believer's life, to obey God or not. So then why don't we obey it? That's a question you must answer and it is only between you and God. You will be accountable for your decisions made in this life, and you will only be accountable to God.

Third, it comes down to motive. What is the motive of your heart? Do we want what is best for us, or for others? Are we dead to ourselves, or are we still living for ourselves? Do we take care of our families, or do we deny our children our time and attention? Are we seeking selfish ambition in this world, or are we seeking unselfish love for eternity? Do we want to serve God, or this world? We can't serve both (James 4:4).