Turn. Believe.

Jesus said, “Turn away from your sins and believe the Good News!” (Mark 1:15b) 

Turn. Believe. God couldn’t have made it any easier for us to be saved from our sin and welcomed into His kingdom.

Yet, we think there must be more to it, more that we must do. Some churches even encourage this line of thinking. They promote, or at least imply, that doing good works, living according to their manmade religious laws, and denying oneself certain things are all requirements for pleasing God.

However, that’s not what Jesus said. “Turn . . .  Believe.” That’s all He wrote.

Just a word of caution, though. While Jesus made it easy for us to be saved, it’s not a decision to be taken lightly. Jesus knows our thoughts. He is aware of just how desperately we want to turn away from wrongdoing. He can see our motives and knows the level of our sincerity. In Luke 14: 25-33, Jesus encourages us to count the cost of following Him, of believing in Him as our Savior and Lord.

When we sincerely want to rid ourselves of those behaviors and habits that we know are wrong, Jesus wipes our slate clean. When we honestly believe that out of His love for us, He willingly died in our place to take the punishment for those sins, Jesus welcomes us into the family of God. That’s all it takes!

Though we daily battle the temptation to fall back into old ways, Jesus gives us His Spirit to remind us and encourage us and strengthen us to remain faithful to Him, to turn again to Him when we fail, and to share this great Good News of forgiveness and acceptance with others.

It’s simple really. Turn. Believe. Are you ready to take that step?

Be encouraged!

©2024 Pamela D. Williams.

Comments welcome at writepam71@gmail.com

Daniel

We recently went to see “Daniel” at the Sight and Sound Theatre in Lancaster, PA. The purpose of Sight & Sound Theatres is to present Bible stories in a family-friendly way that inspires and entertains audiences of all ages and encourages Christians in their faith. Sight & Sound's productions bring the gospel to life on stage using drama, music, singing, and special effects. Incorporating not just adults, but children, teens, and many live animals helps make each scene realistic.

The audience response to these productions is amazing! Throughout most of the performance you could hear a pin drop, but at times the Spirit is so obviously present that one can’t help but clap, praise God, and whisper or shout, “Amen!”

At the end of every performance, an invitation to follow Jesus is presented and staff are available to talk and pray with all who respond.

I always come away with a renewed trust in God and a challenge to put that faith in action. “Daniel” raised the bar on living out one’s faith.

With great Biblical accuracy and very little poetic license, Sight and Sound took the audience from Daniel’s frightening capture by conquering Babylonians, through the trials and temptations he faced as he served in the court during the reign of three kings. All the while Daniel remained firm in his commitment to be faithful to God, despite being threatened with all sorts of retribution for doing so.

Dick said he felt the Lord speaking to him through the presentation about a decision he needs to make. Daniel’s dedication gave me much to ponder also. While I want serving God to be easy-peasy, being faithful to Him in this ungodly world is a constant challenge. How the world thinks, is not how God thinks. James 4 reminds us that if we want to be the world's friend, we make ourselves God's enemy. “So then, submit yourselves to God...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.” (v. 4, 7, 10)

That’s exactly what Daniel did. He put his faith on the line. He did what he knew God would want him to do—no matter what the cost. His life is an example for all who trust in God and want to please Him. No wonder Daniel’s life is one Sight and Sound chose to bring to life as an inspiration to all believers.

Be encouraged!

©2024 Pamela D. Williams.

Comments welcome at writepam71@gmail.com