Children are so sweet and so innocent. They trust Jesus, they love Him, they want to please Him. They go to church and trust Sunday school teachers and preachers and they ask Jesus into their hearts. And they mean it. Soon they get baptized and they do whatever adults tell them. They really want to please the Lord and it is so sweet. All four of us did the same: we followed Christ as small children. And that is the way it should be.
But as we get older, distractions come along, don’t they? And when you feel bad about those distractions, what do you do? Most kids tell themselves that it’s okay, that the distractions are normal, and that Jesus understands, and that there’s no reason to get carried away, right? You don’t want to be a Jesus freak, do you? The important thing is, you asked Him into your heart and so you’re going to Heaven when you die.
No need to worry about hell anymore because you’ve got your fire insurance.
But is that all Jesus is to you? Fire insurance?
If Jesus is nothing more than a ticket to Heaven, your concept of the Christian life is so messed up, I have to ask whether you know Him at all.
Jesus did not say, “I have come to save you from hell.” He said, “I have come so you might have an abundant life.” John 10:10.
That means He wants to enrich your life on earth—and in heaven, because it is all one life. Jesus prayed in John 17:3, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only True God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life—what so many seem to regard as mere “fire insurance”—begins with knowing Jesus during your life on earth. He did not come to drag messed up people from hell to heaven, like some kind of lifeboat anchored near a sinking ship.
He came to breathe life into people who were dead in sin. That life—being born again—makes you completely new. “Behold, I make all things new” Revelation 21:5.
So why do teens struggle? Why do young people who know Christ continue to live like their lost friends? Because they refuse to submit.
Ask yourself this: is Jesus your Lord—the boss of every decision—or is He only your Savior? Many who find Christ as children resist Him for years, and have to “find Him again” as adults when the Holy Spirit reveals to them that they have not been obeying Him. Ask God if that is true for you. Are you seeking Him daily? Asking to do His will in big and small things? Praying for His guidance?
Here’s the thing: it’s hard for many of us to obey anyone other than ourselves. We don’t want to be told what to do. So Jesus is fire insurance to us and nothing more. Too many of us bristle, rebelling when we hear the word “submit.”
But why? Why would you not submit to the God who made you and who knows what will make you happy? He knows you better than you know yourself. And hasn’t He proven that you can trust Him? Don’t you understand how deeply He loves you?
Consider the 23rd Psalm:
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.”
Jesus is your Lord, your boss, your King. You must obey Him. But He is also “the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for His sheep.” John 10:11. He speaks to you, guiding you. “My sheep hear my voice and they follow me.” John 10:27. He is trying to lead you to green pastures and still waters, to restore your soul, to meet all your needs, to protect you from harm and fear and death itself. He loves you, anoints you, heals you, medicates you, feeds you—He is trying to do for you all the compassionate things any animal lover would do for their animals. He offers you His tender, gentle guidance. Why do you insist on fighting Him and going your own way?
Remember when Saul was persecuting Christians in the name of God? Jesus, the Good Shepherd, confronted Him on the road to Damascus and said, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads” Acts 26:14. A goad is a sharpened stick that a shepherd uses to guide his flock. He walks behind them, tapping them to turn one way or another. But if the sheep resist, he has to poke them. And when he pokes them, some will kick the goad and hurt their leg.
Are you kicking against the goads?
Are you fighting God? Are you unwilling to submit to the Lord and King of your life because you have failed to recognize that He is also your loving, compassionate shepherd?
Pray. Dear Jesus, help me submit to you. Help me obey you in EVERY decision. Help me see you as a loving shepherd, not just as the Boss and King of the universe. Help me remember that you know what is best for me and you know where I will find true happiness. Thank you that I was saved as a child. I will always treasure that memory. But I want more than fire insurance. Help me as I grow up to mature in Christ and to submit ALL my decisions and all of who I am to you. I want to obey, to hear your voice, and to be led by you. Show me when I am kicking against the goads. Show me when I am fighting you. Help me to hear your voice and obey. I do want you to be the Lord of all my decisions. Give me a heart of trust and submission. I love you, Jesus. Help me love you more.
Read John 10.
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