Jesus on a Shelf

 October 30, 2024

After re-reading yesterday’s musings, I realized that I was setting things up today asking a question I had answered the day before yesterday: “How do I make this eternal life my own?” I told you the story of Frankie and the Heinekens. If you want eternal life, you must take what it comes in, which is Jesus Christ.

John 1:12 addresses this issue directly: 

“As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name:”

It is one thing to be offered a gift; it’s quite another to receive it…to REALLY receive it. If you offered me a Christmas present, I have a choice: I can receive it or reject it. Since I’m not a complete social idiot, I would choose to take it from you with a thank you. But what if after taking it from your hands all I did was look at it and put it on a shelf? Did I really receive it?

A lot of people do that with Jesus. They want eternal life and know it is found in Jesus, but after praying a prayer or joining a church, they put Jesus on a shelf in their lives. They “received” him, but didn’t really receive him. He hasn’t become an integral part of their lives.

John Wesley called them “Almost Christians.”Don’t be an “Almost Christian.” Say Yes to him every day. Make sure he is at the heart of all you do, and you will discover that eternal life isn’t something to look forward to after you die; it’s a quality of life you can enjoy here and now.