This is the one thing that this generation has a lot of trouble with. They’re used to microwave food, single serve coffee in a minute or two, instant oatmeal, etc. Why can’t we learn to wait? Think about how long the Church has been waiting for the return of Jesus Christ! That’s why many people don’t think He’s coming back. It’s been over two thousand years, that proves that the Bible is just an old book. He’s not coming back!

The only proof that this amount of time has gone past is that God is patient and waiting for all of those who will give their lives and their hearts to Jesus before He comes for the Redeemed of Earth, the true Church. He is not slack in His timing but He is patient because of His love toward us. After all, He sent Jesus to die and pay the penalty of our sins in order that everyone might have a chance at eternity with Him.

But…there are many even within the Church who have not given their hearts to Jesus. They go through the motions and say all of the right words but their heart isn’t in it. Many of them are trying to uphold the “light that is in them” on their own strength rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to change their hearts and live through them. We are not able to live as Christ lived without the Holy Spirit giving us the strength and changing our hearts to be more like Him, but many people try to do it all the time.

There are others, usually young people, who think that because they grew up in the church or their family went to church regularly that they are saved. They believe this because they know some Scripture and they attend church more than once a month or because they’ve “always been in the church”. It is a false statement and a lie that Satan is telling them. He is getting them to believe this and many are, but it is leading them down the wrong pathway.

Just because one path is rough and hard to follow and one is smooth and easy doesn’t mean that the easy one is the best one. Satan will lead you down a smooth pathway and it may be close to the rough path but it will eventually veer off toward a wider path that leads to hell. Make sure of the pathway that you are on and that it is following Jesus toward the reward that we all desire. Life with Him.

So many times in our lives we go to church, we sit through a sermon and then go home. What did we hear? Did you hear His voice or were you thinking about something at work or a problem at home? Many people, young and old, think about many different things while they are in church but God has brought you there to hear His Word preached. Not because your preacher is such a great orator but because there are lessons contained in every word found in God’s Word.

Now, I don’t mean that we have to pick apart the Bible word for word because much of the meaning in God’s Word is only found in the context of the words and paragraphs. When you choose one verse or even one or two words you are taking them out of context and they can be used in ways that can damage those around you. God loves each of us deeply, but He hates the sin that we live our lives in. Of course, if you are a Christian your sins are forgiven but that doesn’t give you or me a license to go back and keep sinning.

The only lasting treasure that we will have is those things that we have done for Jesus in this life. Anything else is just straw and wood which will be burned up by the testing in Heaven. Lasting changes in our lives are made when the Holy Spirit comes into our hearts and changes us from the sinful creature that we were born as to a redeemed “new creation” who can rise to walk in our new life with Jesus Christ! It doesn’t matter if you have been going to church for your entire life and you were raised in a Christian home, if you have never asked Jesus to come into your heart and change your life then you are just a sinner who has been in church for a long time.

At some point during a sermon, your heart will feel God’s touch and you will know exactly how sinful you really are and you will want Him to come in and change you so you can be His disciple and follower from that point on. You may be twelve when this happens or you may be eighty-eight and if you’ve been in church for your whole life you will have a hard time understanding why you feel the need for Jesus. Rest in the knowledge that God’s call goes out to each of us at the appropriate time, never early and never late but always on time.

If you’ve been in church for a long time and you finally go down to ask Jesus into your heart, your decision will have a profound effect on those who have known you for years. Because you’ve been “doing church” and other people have thought for all those years that you were a Christian. It will have the effect that God wanted it to have and you may not have to witness to anyone about it. Those in the crowd will see your transformation. Don’t push God’s touch away, please seek Him out as soon as possible. Don’t wait because we don’t know how many days God has given us. We may have a couple of years left or less than a week, so make your time count for Jesus.