When I was in college, my dad called me one day. He was a farmer and everything that could go wrong in farming was going wrong. He owed more than the farm was worth, and the bank decided it was time to repay loans. All that he had worked for his whole life was going down the drain. It meant tough decisions and tough conversations. Thus, the phone call to me. My parents had paid for college but no more. Dad basically said, “You’re on your own.” It had to kill him to say those words to me, but it was the truth. Very often, the truth is hard to hear.
When Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they lived in a perfect world. But then, they decided to do things their way instead of God’s way. If eating from the tree would make them wise, they thought that seemed like a smart thing to do—except God had told them that tree was off limits. God had warned them—things would change if they did that. They knew if they ate that tree’s fruit, they would face God’s punishment. But they ate the fruit anyway, and sinned against God. I can’t imagine how disappointed and hurt God must have been by their actions. He created them, He loved them, He had given them a world of beauty and perfection and all that they needed—plus they had a direct, talk-with-God-everyday-all-the-time kind of relationship. All this, and still they decided they wanted more. They chose sin instead of God. So they got what God had warned them about. Death entered the world. And, they no longer had a direct relationship with God—their sin put up a barrier between them and God. And, they had to leave this place of beauty and perfection. Their sin had severe consequences. This must have crushed God, to have to tell them all this. But He told them the hard truth.
However, God did not abandon them. He still had a relationship with Adam and Eve, but now it was different. Did God punish them? Yes. Did He give up on them? No. Instead, God made them a promise. One day, there would be One who would defeat sin and death. God didn’t tell them who, or how, or when, but He made them a promise. God gave them hope. True to His word, God kept His promise. He sent His Son, Jesus, into the world. Jesus didn’t come into the world with big headlines. He didn’t take over the world. He came in quietly. He taught people about God. He taught about sin. He called people to believe in Him, to put their faith in Him.
So why should you believe in Jesus? Because Jesus is how God kept His promise. If you refuse to love Jesus, you’re doing the same thing Adam and Eve did. They decided they knew better than God. Refusing to love Jesus is believing you know better than God. It’s a dangerous way of thinking and living, and one that has consequences. My dad had to speak hard truth to me. Did I enjoy that call? No. Did it change me? Yes. Jesus got real direct with people. He said there was only one way to life. Himself. Jesus alone. He spoke the hard truth. Did people like it? No. It’s hard to hear that you’re a sinner and that you need Jesus. We love our independence and think very highly of our “goodness.” But the only “goodness” of value in God’s eyes is believing in and loving the lifeline that He has given: Jesus. If you need prayer or a Bible, let me know.
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