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May. 26th, 2004 07:21 pmSo I’m really confused about my relationship with God right now. I don’t know what’s going on. I just don’t feel like I can surrender everything to him.
And yet, who CAN possibly do that? I was reading in “My Utmost for His Highest,” by Oswald Chambers. In one of his devotions, he talks about Peter and how he could “not follow Jesus because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough.” This was talking about that time when he said he’d follow Jesus and Jesus told him he’d deny him 3 times. It goes on to read, “Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.”
Don’t we always fall short of what it means to follow Jesus? Aren’t we all merely “naturally devoted” to God? Who CAN be a real disciple if it entitles giving everything to Christ? NONE of us do that. Or am I the only one?
I thought salvation only had to do with accepting Jesus. I didn’t know you had to DO all this stuff to truly be saved. I didn’t know you had to give up your entire life to get saved. I thought it was a simple childlike faith. Because we all know that nobody can truly give everything to Christ.
Maybe it’s just me. But I’m tired of wrestling with my salvation and not knowing whether or not I’m saved.
How does one truly KNOW that they are saved? Somebody help me with this…Rachel? Kristy? Anyone.
I am truly struggling with this. I always get apprehensive when I read about “totally giving everything up to God” and stuff because I just don’t know if I can do that. I mean, what does that MEAN? Maybe I am and I just don’t realize it. I just don’t know.
It was always “believe in Jesus” not “the cost of discipleship is everything.” It almost sounds like a manipulation. Becoming a Christian is not supposed to be hard! Giving everything to Christ IS hard!
So which is it?
And yet, who CAN possibly do that? I was reading in “My Utmost for His Highest,” by Oswald Chambers. In one of his devotions, he talks about Peter and how he could “not follow Jesus because he did not know himself or his own capabilities well enough.” This was talking about that time when he said he’d follow Jesus and Jesus told him he’d deny him 3 times. It goes on to read, “Natural devotion may be enough to attract us to Jesus, to make us feel His irresistible charm, but it will never make us disciples. Natural devotion will deny Jesus, always falling short of what it means to truly follow Him.”
Don’t we always fall short of what it means to follow Jesus? Aren’t we all merely “naturally devoted” to God? Who CAN be a real disciple if it entitles giving everything to Christ? NONE of us do that. Or am I the only one?
I thought salvation only had to do with accepting Jesus. I didn’t know you had to DO all this stuff to truly be saved. I didn’t know you had to give up your entire life to get saved. I thought it was a simple childlike faith. Because we all know that nobody can truly give everything to Christ.
Maybe it’s just me. But I’m tired of wrestling with my salvation and not knowing whether or not I’m saved.
How does one truly KNOW that they are saved? Somebody help me with this…Rachel? Kristy? Anyone.
I am truly struggling with this. I always get apprehensive when I read about “totally giving everything up to God” and stuff because I just don’t know if I can do that. I mean, what does that MEAN? Maybe I am and I just don’t realize it. I just don’t know.
It was always “believe in Jesus” not “the cost of discipleship is everything.” It almost sounds like a manipulation. Becoming a Christian is not supposed to be hard! Giving everything to Christ IS hard!
So which is it?
