I sat in the dark atop a mountain overlooking a lost city. Above my head, a Mindanaon downpour assaulted the tin roof of the bungalow I called home. I had just learned that my best friend from high school had died. Along with the torrential rain came a flood of memories, both good and bad.
About the time my friend turned 20, he had trusted in Jesus. But just a couple of years ago, he told me, “I no longer believe in the so-called God.” That statement haunts me.
I can’t vouch for my friend’s spiritual beliefs; neither can I vouch for the beliefs of the band Collective Soul. Still, much of their music resonates with my spirit. And on this dark night, their song “Maybe” captured my thoughts precisely:
Where am I to take refuge when the storms of pain release. Shelter me. This blessedness of life, it sometimes brings me to my knees. I call on Thee. And I have not the words to write a farewell to you tonight. Maybe God you found. “Maybe” is all that you can offer now.
It’s that refrain “maybe” that gets me. How much more comforting is another song by Collective Soul! “Once was blind but now I see; salvation has discovered me. This precious declaration means I believe all hope is dead no longer.”
I don’t know where my friend is. But through it all, my faith remains in Jesus, who made this precious declaration: “My sheep listen to My voice; I know them, and they follow Me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from Me” (John 10:27-29).
In the end, it isn’t about idle words we may say; it’s about what Jesus did and said! And it’s about our heart-belief toward Him. I’ve chosen to believe Him. Life is far too short to trust in maybe.
More:
God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Next:
Who do you think Jesus is? Is He simply a good man? Why should you believe in Him? read› John 10:22-30 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish (v.28)
R R Kelkar on July 12, 2010 at 4:50 am
It is perhaps easier to believe in eternal life while witnessing death. If life on earth is to have any meaning it must be followed by the eternal life promised by Jesus to those who believe in him. It is far more difficult however to believe in life here on earth with the struggle, pain, loss and uncertainty that goes with it. There is nothing guaranteed about earthly life except “tribulation”. Coping with earthly life could be a ceaseless and unbearable effort and one has to console oneself with positive thoughts like this is God’s plan, he loves us, he strengthens us and so on. But there is this nagging thought that life here is like a perishable commodity. Moving from a “maybe” state to a “sure” state has to start with us, and only then we can try to convince others.
alanmross on July 12, 2010 at 5:59 am
What a powerful reminder of the fragility of life and the potential for easy “believism” in our evangelical approach.
So many younger people who trust in Jesus in their youth are coming to a time when they no longer trust in “religion” or our brand of “Christianity”. Maybe our emphasis should be on leading people into relationship for that will never fail.
Thanks Tim.
lindagma on July 12, 2010 at 6:06 am
If life here on earth was without trouble, tribulation, and pain… what would be the desire for heaven. It is because of the way things are on earth that we develop the longing to be with God in heaven.
It is so hard when you don’t know the end resting place of a loved one. I can only say that I KNOW I was saved at 16, even though I stopped going to church for 10 years. Circumstances, and a huge lack of mentoring after my salvation, left me questioning if there was a God, and feeling very much on my own. After committing my life again and learning how to walk daily with Christ, I can look back on so many situations where God kept me from destruction. Jesus promised that the ones belonging to Him could not be snatched from His hand… perhaps gone astray and out of fellowship but never lost to Him.
tim gustafson on July 12, 2010 at 6:07 am
My friend’s faith didn’t seem like “easy believism” at the time. I can’t answer the question for him. As for me, I know whom I have believed. Jesus is the one certainty I have!
GiGi on July 12, 2010 at 7:23 am
The time is short and the workers are few… We need to be the type of people as Christians that Christ’s Light so shines that others cannot question whether there is a God. In times when my faith falters, my church family surrounds me and showers me with Christ’s love… so that my questions are answered. We must be assertive in telling others that God is real and showering them with that love. Thanks Tim for reminding me that none of us know what “may be” the last opportunity for us to witness and share God’s love.
donreid77 on July 12, 2010 at 8:06 am
Tim, there is not much I can say other than you are not alone. One of my pastors, a middle aged gentleman, denounced his belief in God, denounced his family, and entered into a life completely seperated from both. Needless to say it shook me to my very core. My faith and hope is not in people or pastors but in Jesus Christ and He will keep me for eternity. Still, it doesn’t stop the pain I felt for him and his family. For him, I too cling to the hope of “maybe.”
agapegirl88 on July 12, 2010 at 9:14 am
Tim,
First of all so sorry for your loss. I want to say that it is encouraging and refreshing to read the comments to this devotional. We often judge a person’s spirituality, and belief’s based on whether or not they were attending church, or if they had prayed over their meal. We as Christians have a responsibility not to put ourselves in a box (i.e. the church building) and only rely on religious acts to
make our faith evident. But really live them out in our love towards others. I think you are so right when you said it is about our heart-belief toward Him. Thank-you for letting God use your pain and saddness for His glory. May you be blessed today.
agapeggirl88
stupart on July 12, 2010 at 11:08 am
So true agapegirl! We need to take ourselves out of a box and our reliance on religious acts. Tim my condolences on your loss. May God bless and keep you. May He shine his face upon you and be gracious to you. May he lift his countenance upon you and give you his peace.
Invisible on July 12, 2010 at 9:57 am
this post is bringing tears that i’ve not allowed out for so many years. in four years i lost three cousins, one to an aneurism, one to suicide and one to cancer and an aunt to cancer.All in the same family. they were my aunts sons who died two years before her.none of them believed in god or at least none believed that they needed god. My aunt died hating god for allowing her to lose three of her boys in a short time.after learning about the fact that you can only go to heaven if you believe frightens me. i fear what they might be suffering if they didnt make into heaven.
Soldier4Christ on July 12, 2010 at 11:06 am
Reading what lindagma wrote reminds me of me, I too walked away from the church for about 10 years, in that time I am thankful that God never gave up on me and kept me from many things that could have been the end of me. I am also thankful that I didn’t die in those years that I drifted away from God because we are not promised tomorrow. I no longer live a life of maybe’s but I have found a loving Savior in Jesus and a closer walk with God that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Living a life with God isn’t about religion, a building or the good things that you do but it is about having a personal relationship with God. I can’t make anyone believe in God or trust in Jesus, all I can do is share the fact that my God is real and He is waiting for those who are lost to come home.
tim gustafson on July 12, 2010 at 12:02 pm
What great comments today! Thanks everyone for your thoughtfulness, your honesty, and most of all for sharing your hope with others. Jesus is real, and He is the only Real Hope.
agapegirl88 on July 13, 2010 at 9:43 am
Dear Invisible,
I want you to know that you are not invisible I can see the pain these events have brought to you and I also know God sees that pain and He truly loves you. The reality of eternity and where our loved ones will be is often very difficult for those who remain on earth to find peace and hope if we do not have confidence in where they are. I would encourage you seek out a Biblbical counselor or minister to discuss these events. I hope you will be
lifted up today. I pray that you will be strengthened and renewed daily and that the Lord Jesus will continue to reveal Himself to you and that your pain will be lessened in the light of His love.
Grace and peace
agapegirl88