You Don't Try God!

This morning while reading through my email, I came across an interesting headline that caught my attention. It read, "Have you been searching for happiness in all the wrong places? Try God." I'll admit I was intrigued, but not in a good way. In fact, there are a couple of major things wrong with that particular headline.

First off, God does not guarantee us happiness. Joy, yes, but happiness, no. The two are not the same. Joy is the contentment and satisfaction that we feel down in our souls because Jesus abides in our hearts. It cannot be taken away from us no matter what circumstances may arise. Happiness, on the other hand, is fleeting. It comes and goes depending on our situations, our moods, and even our surroundings. And for that reason, the Lord never says that we will always be happy, at least not on this earth.

My biggest issue with the headline, however, is the last two words, "Try God." You don't try God. You love Him.  You worship Him.  You accept Him.  But you don't try Him. God is not some product or service that you test out to see whether or not He works for you. He does not come with a money-back guarantee, and there is a strict no-return policy. According to this article, "When you step out to make a wholehearted commitment to try God, you step out to trust an unseen God to save you." Am I the only one who sees a problem with this statement? Is trying God and having faith in God the same thing? It certainly doesn't sound like it to me.

The gist of the article was that the author had found herself at the end of her rope. She had lost her job, her friends, and all hope of a better future. With nothing left to lose, she decided to "try God."   In her words, "The next morning after the spiritual encounter with God, I knew something had changed in my life because I felt lighter." Is that what salvation is all about? Because she goes on to talk about the Holy Spirit entering her heart and her becoming a new creature in God, but she continues the article talking about how she is going to try God like he is some trial product that she can send back if He doesn't do what she expects Him to do or doesn't work out the way she hopes. To be honest, this article saddens me because it reminds me how mixed up some people are about true salvation.

I know I've dealt with salvation a lot over the past few months, but time is growing short, and it is more important than ever to get this message out. Salvation is trusting Jesus as Savior not trying Him out as Savior. It is believing, without a doubt, that Jesus died for your sins and that He was buried and rose the third day so that He could make an eternal home for us in heaven. By accepting that sacrifice and the sin debt that He paid, we are giving our lives over to Him for all eternity. It is a conscious decision to turn away from our old ways and to live a new life in Christ. While it is free to all who believe, it cost Jesus everything and is, therefore, precious and not to be taken lightly.

If you have not accepted Jesus as Savior, I pray that you will do so today before it is too late. But please understand this, salvation has no trial period.   You trust in Jesus, or you don't. You cannot expect to try Him out for a little while to see if He'll fix all your problems. That's not how it works. If you are confused about salvation or would like more information, please feel free to contact me at Dana@DanaRongione.com.

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. - Romans 10:9