Accept, Or Reject, But A Decision Must Be Made
“And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will falter between two opinions (i.e. straddle the fence)? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word” (1 Kings 18:21).
Unfortunately, in our society, mentioning the Name of Jesus is not popular. In fact, in many areas of the country, its become difficult to share the Gospel. This is Satan’s doing and he has been very successful at directing attention toward anything other than the Gospel. But everyone’s eternal destiny is an important subject, and everyone must make a decision regarding it. If the Gospel is preached and those that hear it do not accept the gracious gift of salvation offered, then a decision, so to speak, has been made already. One thing that we cannot do is straddle the fence. By this I mean to neither accept nor reject the Gospel. Those that are “on the fence,” have, by not coming to the Lord, rejected the “Good News” of the Lord’s Grace.
The introductory verse above was spoken by Elijah to the people of Israel. He challenged them to make a decision between the Lord and the false god Baal. Today, people do not worship Baal, but anything we place before, or in place of the Lord, is an idol not unlike Baal. Elijah challenged the people to choose between the Lord and this false god. As most know, the Lord sent fire from Heaven to consume the sacrifice after the priests of Baal were unable to get their god to respond.
The Lord has not sent fire from Heaven today to draw people to Himself but has sent his only Begotten Son to die on a cruel Cross for the sin of mankind. Fire from Heaven consuming the sacrifice was quite a display of the Lord’s power and of His desire to bless Israel. It was a display of His love for them in showing them the way to have fellowship with Him. It was also a type, in that it actually pointed ahead to the time when the Son of God would offer Himself as the true sacrifice on the Cross. Fire from Heaven is one thing, but the Lord of Glory leaving Heaven and becoming the God/Man to satisfy the judgment of God against sin on the Cross is the ultimate display of His power, His wisdom, and His love for us.
“Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation (atonement) for our sins” (1 John 4:10).
So the question for everyone today is: What is your response to such great love? Will you come on bended knee to the God that loves you and calls you to Himself, or will you reject, or delay, your response to His call. We can come to Him now as our Lord and Savior, or we can come before Him as our judge. The Bible makes it clear when it says that “At the Name of Jesus every knee will bow.” The Lord calls out to everyone in the following verse:
“Turn to Me and be saved, all the ends of the Earth; for I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22).
There’s coming a day when we will pass from this life, or the Lord will return for His church. We have no guarantees past today. The Lord’s love reaches out to all those on the Earth today. He is patient and longsuffering, but a day of judgment will come as prophesied. Don’t let it catch you unawares. Don’t get caught straddling the fence. The Lord Jesus makes things very clear in the following verse:
“He who is not with Me is against Me…..” (Matthew 12:30).
I would hope for better things for all those that read this article. The Gospel has been preached and the decision must be made. His mercy and grace are offered to all. The Holy Spirit goes throughout the world convicting and drawing sinners to the Lord. Jesus laid down His life for us so that we might be with Him in eternity as joint- heirs. God’s great love for us is spoken of in the following verse by the One Who gave His life for all those that will come to Him in thanksgiving for all He has done for us:
“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” (John 15:13).
He calls all those that accept His great sacrifice at Calvary “friends.” If you have not come to the Lord and would like to place your faith in the One that loves you and proved it by laying down His life for you, then you can pray the following Sinner’s Prayer that has been prayed by millions. Joshua said it well in the following verse:
“Choose you this day whom you will serve…..But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15).
The Sinner’s Prayer
Dear God in Heaven,
I come to you in the Name of Jesus. I’m sorry for my sins. The way I’ve lived, the things I’ve done. Please forgive me. Cleanse me with your Precious Blood from all unrighteousness. With my mouth, I confess Jesus Christ. In my heart, I believe God raised Jesus from the dead, and He is alive. This very moment I accept Jesus Christ as the savior of my soul. And I make Him the Lord of my life. According to your Word which cannot lie: I am washed, I am forgiven. I am saved. Amen.
If you prayed this prayer and believed, according to God’s Word, you have passed from death to life. You have been born again (born from above)! Praise the Lord.
Always Remember,
God Loves You!
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