If you are satisfied with your everyday life, then faith in Christ is not for you. When a person hands his (or her) life over to Christ, everything begins to change. Jesus begins to fill the emptiness of our lives. That’s scary because that process will make your life radically different. Your love for Him begins to overshadow everything else.
Hudson Taylor (1832-1905) is a good example. His father was a chemist and a lay preacher, but as a young man Hudson turned his back on the Bible and rejected what his parents taught. The religious life of his parents was boring to him. He attended church faithfully with them, but it didn’t hold his interest. He was really interested in riding horses, hunting, and living in luxury.
One night, when he was 17, he was home alone with nothing to do (maybe because he had no TV or internet!). He found a gospel tract titled “Poor Richard” that his parents had left out. He began to read it, and he came under strong conviction. Later that night he asked Jesus to forgive his sin and come into his life. That prayer was answered, and he was converted to Christ! Later he found out that at that very same moment, seventy miles away, his mother was pleading with God to save her son.
Hudson Taylor’s life became radically different. It wasn’t long before he felt that God wanted him to be a missionary to China. To help prepare him for that work, he moved from his comfortable house in Barnsley of Yorkshire to Drainside, Hull—a very poor and depressing area lined with garbage. He lived in a room that was only 12 foot square. He learned to depend on the Lord for his daily needs, and he served a doctor there so he could gain some medical knowledge.
Five years later Hudson Taylor left for China. The boat ride took 5 ½ months, and it survived two typhoons and was nearly wrecked. For the most of the next 39 years, Mr. Taylor spread the message of Christ among the Chinese. Those were very difficult, but fruitful years. He established the China Inland Mission, which became the largest Christian mission organization in the world. By 1895 CIM had 641 missionaries and 462 Chinese helpers at 260 locations. As a result, millions of Chinese found peace and forgiveness in Christ.
If you surrender your life to Christ, it isn’t likely that you will wind up serving as a missionary as Hudson Taylor did. Let me warn you, though, your life will be radically changed because “… He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
Make no mistake about it. God’s changes are good, and they always come with great joy. The world, on the other hand, cannot deliver on its promise of happiness because, “The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). On the other hand, “… if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Are you tired of chasing the empty happiness that our world offers? Give your life to Christ, and you will never be the same. Come to Christ, and then you can “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:4–7).
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