

After this many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. So Jesus said to the Twelve, "Do you want to go away as well?" Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that You are the Holy One of God." John 6:66-69
God wants you to be saved.
To make your forgiveness and salvation a reality, God sent His Son to be sacrificed so you might be freed from sin, death and devil. Jesus' completed work is all-encompassing and costs you nothing. It is absolutely free. All the Lord asks of us is that we don't say "no" to the Holy Spirit, who wishes to place faith into our hearts, turn us from our sinful past, and help us trust in the Son of God, who takes away the sins of the world.
Simple? Yes, it ought to be. It ought to be, but things can get in the way. To illustrate, let me tell you a story that comes from India in the 1850s.
It begins (and ends) at the home of the British governor general. The tale really starts when a three-year-old boy wandered into a group of adults who were at an official party. Although such events did have a certain age segregation, there was nothing overly extraordinary in the child's arrival ... other than the fact he didn't come alone.
You see, in his small hand the child was gently holding a Russell's Viper, a snake which, even now, kills thousands of people each year. Many of the guests saw and sized up the situation, but it was the boy's father who took action and spoke.
With controlled, calm tones he said, "John, put the snake down right this minute."
Now John could have done otherwise. He could have been upset his father was ruining his playtime with a new pet. He could have hesitated or pretended he hadn't heard his father. If John had preferred any of those paths, there is little doubt John would have died.
But John didn't walk those paths. That day he did exactly as his father had instructed. John put the snake down, and in less time than it takes to tell, one of the guests had dispatched it.
In so many ways, John's story is the tale of every man, woman and child in this sinful world.
God tells us to believe in His Son, but all too often people think they know better than God. They see no problem with the life they're leading and the things they're doing. They think they can handle the situation. Well, my friends, those who think this way are thinking wrongly. If they continue in that thinking, they will most certainly die.
Far better for them to trust their Heavenly Father and His Holy Word; far better to trust the Savior's all-sufficient atonement; far better to throw out anything which might try to drive a wedge between us and our living Redeemer; far better to ask the Lord to grant us a spirit of obedience to believe and trust in Jesus whose life, suffering and death was the sacrifice which saves us.
THE PRAYER: Dear Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. In the Savior's Name I ask it. Amen.
In Christ I remain His servant and yours,
Pastor Ken Klaus
Speaker emeritus of The Lutheran Hour®
Lutheran Hour Ministries
Today's Bible Readings: Genesis 23-24 Matthew 17
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