What You Believe Matters

Chuckle: "Why are retirees so slow to clean out the basement, attic, or garage? They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will store stuff there. "

Quote: “If you don't change your beliefs, your life will be like this forever. Is that good news?” --Dr. Robert Anthony

"There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death . . . A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps" (Proverbs 14:12, 15 NIV).

I'm sure you have heard the statement: "It really doesn't matter what you believe as long as you are sincere." Or, "we are all trying to get to heaven in our own way." The implication is that there are many different beliefs and actions that will qualify you for heaven when you die. For many years, some of the best minds in the world sincerely believed the world was flat. They were sincerely wrong. It does matter what you believe and there is only one source of truth for living, God himself through his Word. Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14: 6 NIV).

What you believe will determine how you live. "Above all else, guard your heart, for it affects everything you do" (Proverbs 4:23 NLT). We all live by our beliefs and our value systems. What we believe to be true becomes our guide for our actions and relationships. If you sincerely believe you can earn your way to heaven just by living a good moral life, you will spend your life trying to be good and living with the uncertainty of whether or not you are good enough. You will be sincerely wrong. However, if you have placed your faith in the Truth himself, Jesus Christ, you will have assurance of eternal life and your life will be marked by obedience to him and adherence to his teachings.

What you believe is your choice. "They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator" (Romans 1:25 NIV). Each of us must choose what we believe. If we accept opinions, half-truths, and outright lies as truth, we may believe them with all sincerity and be sincerely wrong. No one can make your choices for you when it comes to your relationship with Jesus Christ. To not make a choice is a choice to reject him. We cannot be neutral in decisions about our eternal destiny. "Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12 NIV). "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the son will not see life, for God's wrath remains on him" (John 3:36 NIV).

"While driving down the highway, you encounter a sign that reads, 'Dangerous Curve Ahead.' Immediately you are confronted with a choice. One, you can observe the warning and slow down. Two, you can ignore the warning and maintain your speed. Or, three, you can defy the warning and speed up. Whatever your response, you will not change the truth of the sign. The curve remains dangerous, regardless of whether you acknowledge the fact or not." –Illustrations for Biblical Preaching; Edited by Michael P. Green

Before you accept something to be true and make it a part of your belief system, first compare it to what God's Word has to say about it. "I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right" (Isaiah 45:19b NIV). It does matter what we believe.

Love, Jerry & Dotse