Looking for GodSample

Receive and Believe

Yesterday, we saw how God is knocking at the door of your heart. Let’s now consider what it truly means to open that door. I’ll start with a story.

About a year ago, a friend took a few days to post online about God’s love. The various posts said things like, “God is love.” True. “God loves everyone.” True. “You don’t have to do anything more. His love is enough. Just let Him love you.” I read the many comments in response to the posts, and they were all applauding the brilliance of these statements. Around day four of the posts, I agreed with everything that my friend had been saying about God’s love. But I added that we have to choose to respond to that love or not. I cited John 1:12, which says, “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name” (NASB, emphasis added).

I had no idea the pushback that would create! People on my friend’s page couldn’t believe that I said a person has to receive God’s love and become His child by believing in Jesus’ name. My friend was so angry at my comments that a blog was then written, quoting me but without reference to John 1:12 about the need to receive and believe in Jesus.

Like my friend, we can say “God loves you” until someone’s dying breath, but that person can still have hate in their heart toward God and reject Him. We can love someone straight into an eternity without God because we never share the simple truth that a person has to take some action in response to God’s love. We have to receive and believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. Otherwise, people end up depending on self-salvation and being their own saviors and lords.

British journalist Malcolm Muggeridge (1903–1990) interviewed Joseph Stalin’s daughter Svetlana on a BBC documentary about her father. She recalled that while her father was on his deathbed, he raised himself up with what strength he had and shook his fists toward the heavens.* Early in his life, Stalin had been a seminary student. Surely, he had heard that God loved him, but he did not receive that love or believe in the name of Jesus, and one of his final actions on earth was to express defiance toward God. We can say, “God loves you! God loves you! God loves you!” and someone can still shake their fists at God on their deathbed. Action is required by a person to receive His love and believe in His name. Either we belong to Him, or we don’t.

The very purpose of the Bible is to reveal God’s love for us. Jesus came from the Father to show His love for us and invite us into the kingdom of light. He leads us with “cords of kindness, with the bands of love” (Hosea 11:4 ESV). We simply receive and believe!

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References

*Russell McKinney, “The Clinched Fist of Joseph Stalin,” The Disciple’s Road, December 15, 2011, accessed online.