Is That Your Final Answer?

 "But in your hearts, revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have." 1 Peter 3:15

    This question was recently asked of me: "Do you ever wonder if you would be a Christian if you hadn't been born into a Christian family?" So, I pondered why I follow Jesus. It's certainly not a popular choice in this world. It does not bring me wealth or pave my path with roses. Why do I read the Bible every day? I can't imagine reading any other written word every day of my life, even if it were my favorite book; it would become quite rote. So, what's the draw?

    True, my Christian parents laid a firm foundation by following their faith. Church attendance was a high priority, but my folks were not just Sunday believers. They daily consumed the Scriptures, attended and hosted Bible studies, prayed for others, supported missions and shared their faith as easily as one would share a pack of gum. It was who they were.

    Yet, even with all that, I had to decide for myself what I believed. As a young woman, far from home in prodigal style, I found myself feeding the swine, so to speak (see Luke 15: 11-32). It was then that I opened the Bible my folks gave me for confirmation for the first time, not out of compulsion but out of hunger. I stumbled upon the eighth chapter of Romans as if I opened an unknown door into a festal hall filled with a sumptuous feast! Sated upon those words, I flipped to the Psalms for dessert. 

    Why do I follow Jesus? God is for me. He who did not even spare His own Son graciously gives me all things. No one condemns me; the Truth has set me free! Christ Jesus, who was raised to life, sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes for me! Who shall separate me from this kind of love? Shall unemployment, divorce, an empty refrigerator, a tornado, loneliness, bankruptcy or weariness? No, in all these things, I am more than a conqueror through Him who loves me!

    Will I pick up my cross and follow Jesus? A resounding YES is my final answer.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 8: 38, 39