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We all have beliefs. The next step is to attempt to discover why you believe
what you do. It could be due to your parents teaching you, the culture you
were raised in causing you to accept or recoil from a particular worldview, or
maybe it could even boil down to believing something out of sheer desire. It is
generally a combination of ingredients. There is a lot of information that is vitally
important to our existence. We learn and are trained very early on in life to
perform certain tasks for simple survival. Beyond that, it is only natural to
ponder such questions as, "What is my purpose in life?" or "Why are we even
here?" or "What's on the other side of this life?" It can be easy to avoid these
questions as unknowable, but it isn't very wise to push them out of our mind.
We need to face the difficult questions in life if we are to arrive at any real
answers. In order to do this we need to begin in the conscience; that area we
are programmed with that lets us know right from wrong if it is functioning
properly. If we look at the Law of God (the Ten Commandments) as a mirror to
determine our true state, then we should plainly see that there is a problem… a
big one. If God is actually going to hold us to account for every word, action
and thought on Judgment Day then what hope is there? According to an honest
assessment of the Commandments, we're all liars, thieves, adulterers,
blasphemers and more. In those acts we haven't merely sinned against men, but
more importantly against God Himself. From there, it's easy to get into a mode of
looking at others. It's only natural to start to try and justify our actions in light
of everyone around us. It's a hard pill to swallow, but in our natural state we are
actually enemies of God in our minds through our evil behavior. So is that it? Are
we all just condemned and headed for Hell? It's not God's will that any one
would perish but that we would all be restored into a right standing with Him.

How does that really happen though? Do we just need to repeat some prayer,
and do a few superstitious acts to appease a guilty conscience? That's only a
man made effort to make us feel better temporarily. There is real forgiveness
available though. At the end of this hard look into our lives, there is really good
news. That even though God is uncompromisingly just, He has made a way for
us to be forgiven. God did what we couldn't and took matters into His own
hands. Jesus Christ was God in the flesh… He lived out the Law perfectly, and
paid the fine for our sin in His life's blood on the cross. In this act, He provided
the legal transaction necessary to fulfill the obligation of the Law in our place.
Then Jesus defeated death and Hell by rising from the dead. That doesn't
automatically mean that everyone is a child of God, however. We need to
receive the gift he's given, by putting our trust completely in Jesus'
righteousness (not our own) and repent. The word repent simply means to turn
from. This isn't a superficial act, but a measurable act of bearing fruit to God in
our lives. We're not called to say a prayer and forget about it, but to examine
ourselves to see whether or not we're in the faith.

Many people put off the need for reconciliation with God for a later date. That's
not wise, since we're not guaranteed another day. Make today the day that you
make your calling and election sure, that you're truly born again and not just
following the crowd. Read the Bible and obey it. Seek the Lord with all of your
heart and you will find Him. He will never let you down.