Is it not awesome? I used to say that "so many people know the truth but they do not let it set them free. Now I know better: what they know is the letter, and the letter kills; the real truth is yet to be revealed to them; they do not know the Truth (Jesus) and so He is yet to make them free! "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free!" You have to know the truth before He can make you free. An encounter with Jesus is needed.
If you have not encountered Jesus how are you supposed to know the way, or the truth, or even have life? It is simple: they are yet to seek, to knock, and to ask; they haven't sought after Jesus, to know Him. And until they find Him then they do not know the truth. All they were and still are after is what can be done for them which is why people think that the verse that Jesus said "ask and it shall be given, seek and ye shall find, knock and the door shall be opened" always means material things. No! The asking has to do with the Holy Spirit (Psalm 34:4, Psalm 37:4, Jeremiah 29:13), and they very moment we believe in Jesus, we are given, gifted by God with the Holy Spirit - Jeremiah 29:13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. That is why the people who had encounters with Jesus never look back, they are always working to please God and to attain the ultimate price: Heaven. Even if it had to do with material things, which at some point it usually is, Jesus said in John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. The ultimate gift of God is the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:37-39, Jn 14:16-17, Jn 15:26-27, Jn 20:22, Acts 2:38, Acts 5:32). People that haven't had encounters with Jesus are mostly the ones get discouraged, the ones that are always looking for what can be done for them, always asking God for material things, always criticizing and been hypocritical; they forget that we are called to serve, saved to save others, and the only way they can find the truth is if they diligently seek Him, this is and only when God will reward them with it. (But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Hebrews 11:6; John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth;Jeremiah 29:13; Psalm 145:18 The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth). If we truly must worship God in truth according to John 4:24, then it must come from our hearts, we must truly want to worship God, we must be sincere.
There is no plan B for those who understand, there is just no going back, no substitutes, no alternatives, only one goal - pleasing GOD. Jesus said in Luke 9:62 "He that has put his hand to the plough and looks back is not ready for the Kingdom of God".
Jesus likened the Kingdom of God to "a treasure hidden in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for the joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field". He also said that the Kingdom of God "is like unto a merchant seeking goodly pearls: who when he had found one pearl of great price, wen and sold all that he had and bought it" (Matthew 13:44-45).
When
Jesus called to Peter to join Him as He was walking towards them on
water, Peter joined Him and walked but when he looked around him and saw
the waves he began to sink and cried to Jesus to help Him; what did
Jesus say to him? "why did you doubt?". Jesus said "if a man
will come after me let him deny himself (and all that he is and is
connected to), and take up his cross and follow me" Matthew 16:24, Mark
8:34, Luke 9:23.In conclusion: If we really want to and must follow Jesus Christ then we need to take our mind off the things of these world as Paul rightly said in 2 Timothy 2:4 - No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. We need to focus. I want to make reference to a few things:
1. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus ~ Alexander Graham Bell. And
2. Burn your ship on the shore: In battle, the ancient Greeks established a well-deserved reputation for bravery, discipline, and determination. They were successful because they were well trained, well lead, and most of all, well motivated. The Greeks were master motivators who understood how to instill commitment and prepare their soldiers for victory. To infuse their army with a spirit of commitment, the moment they landed on the enemy's shore, the Greek commanders would give the order to "burn the boats." Imagine the tremendous psychological impact on the soldiers as they watched their boats being set to the torch. There was no turning back. Once their boats were burned, they realized that the only way they were going home was through victory. It wasn't just the Greeks, it started as far back as the vikings and many others. They had to win to get any boats, it was either do or die. This was where their bravery came from, bravery that always made them win. When you have a plan B, even in the issues of life, from that very moment you have already failed to a certain percentage.
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