Say I Decide to Follow Jesus; What Can I Expect?
What impact will becoming a Christian have on my life?
Increased Happiness? Since “happiness” is largely based on circumstances, possibly, but definitely not guaranteed.
Ease of existence? Only if you like living alone.
Wealth? Maybe, but following Jesus is not a money maker per se.
More fun? Depends on you, who you hang with.
Less fun? See above
Will it make me more popular? Depends on who you hang with, but it might cost you some friends.
Will it make me thinner? Nope
Better looking? Nope
Doesn’t it mean becoming a bigot? NO
Doesn’t it mean hating certain people? Double NO
Anti Gay? No
Anti-Jew/Muslim? No
Anti Scientific? No.
Anti fun? No
What’s in it for me?
A dynamic personal relationship with the ultimate power of the universe.
Love
Joy (Don’t confuse with happiness)
Acceptance
Purpose
Meaning
Inner Peace
Understanding
Knowledge of your eternal destiny
Will it cost me anything? Nothing to gain admission, something to grow. Friends possibly, family, possibly.
Will I have to give stuff up? Only things that are really not good for you anyway
Will it be hard? Depends on how much you want to grow, think, education, physical exercise, the more you work at it…
Rewards? Some now, most later…
Why don’t more people try it? It’s not that it’s been tried and found wanting…its been found difficult and not tried.
I love the list of ways I can still have fun and be me even if I have an intimate relationship with God. God isn’t against having fun. I think there is this wrongful notion that somehow if I become a christian I can’t have fun anymore. The list really made that a lot more real. People generally do see when something is harmful. If its harmful to yourself or someone else, that is not a good idea to do. Even if someone doesn’t know Jesus, they know this. Why do they know it even if they have no relationship with Jesus? I once asked an atheist friend of mine how do you know right from wrong? Even if you say your parents, where did they get it? This goes on and on throughout history. At some point somewhere, what we know today to be harmful was given. We have an eternal compass, regardless of whether or not we have a relationship with Jesus. In Genesis, the bible says that we are made in His image. We were born with the internal compass God gave us when we each were wonderfully made. This internal compass directs us right from wrong. It is proof that God exists. Where else could it have come from that doesn’t ultimately lead back to the creation of man?