All Or Nothing

As seen in the HEARTbeat and the Village Voice

“All or Nothing”

            Buying an automobile in the early 1900’s is absolutely nothing like it is today.  Back then, as Henry Ford said, “Any customer can have a car painted any color they want, as long as it is black!”  And of course, you bought the car as is.  There were no options to add to or delete from the purchase.  The only choice the car buyer had was, “Do I buy it or not?”

            Today’s purchasing experience is entirely different.  You can order a car with the options you want from the dealership.  You can even go “on-line” and build your perfect car, truck, or SUV just the way you want it, and then see what the MSRP is!  Of course, the opposite is true.  You can order as plain a vehicle you desire.  Even some manufacturers delete a great deal of the options to create what some call a “work truck.”

            If you don’t like going into dealerships and haggling over price, you can login to car selling sites to avoid the hassles.  You see the car in multiple pictures, all the options, and the price of vehicle.  It’s sort of like the early days of automobile buying.  The price of this particular vehicle is set, and the only decision you have is whether to buy it or not.  Oh, and they’ll even deliver it to you on the back of a car-hauler!  What a deal!

            Becoming a Christian is very similar to the early days of buying an automobile.  There is only one decision to make; do I accept the sacrifice Jesus made for me or not!  The price was set, it was paid, and the only decision to make is believe or not.

            When you think about it, being a Christian is a great deal like the early days of auto buying.  Take for instance the moment you receive the Holy Spirit.  It too is an all or nothing proposal.  When Jesus told the disciples to go into Jerusalem and wait for the one God the Father promised He would send, they didn’t go half way and stop.  They went all the way.  When He asked them to pray, they didn’t pray a few days and quit.  They prayed for ten days together in an upper room, worshipping, eating, and most of all praying.  They were all in.

            When the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles, it wasn’t a halfway deal either.  The Apostles didn’t receive a quarter, nor a half, nor three-quarters of the Holy Spirit.  They received the fullness of all that God had to offer them in the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  And what they did after that was a testament to the power God had given them.  They not only preached what some consider is the greatest sermon ever preached, they went and preached it to all of Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and all over the known world.  They spread the same message of Christ’s love that is still being told today.

            It’s an all or nothing offer.  We either accept all of God’s promises or none of them.  It’s not ours to pick and choose.  The gift is complete, and all we will ever need!  What a deal!