It was a funny (odd) night here last night.  Mike and I had decided to watch a video that had arrived from Jack Van Impe Ministries.  We rarely use the DVD player so trying to figure out how to make it work took some time.  We finally figured out that we had to push a certain button on the remote and voila’ … there it goes.

But prior to getting the DVD going, Mike was rummaging around inside the cabinet that holds the DVD player.  He was pulling out all sorts of old VHS tapes that had accumulated over the years.  Then he starts bringing out VHS box sets of “Jesus” teachings.  One after another after another.  I was quite pleased to see all of these, I had no idea that he had all of them. 

As I was reading the back of one of the box sets, I said something like…  “I’m glad to know you’ve been a believer for such a long time”.  He looked at me with an odd expression and said… “I’ve never watched a single one of these.  I guess I figured at the time that  if I bought them, then that would make me a Christian.”  I didn’t mean to do it, but my eyes got real big and I just looked at him.  I wasn’t really sure what to say to that.  He looked at me and said, “I do know better than that now”.  I just smiled back at him. 

But that conversation really got me to thinking most all of today.  How many out there have convinced themself that they are a good person, therefore they are going to be saved?  How many are convinced that as long as they show up at Church on Sunday, that they are saved?  Or how many think that as long as they “do right”, that they are saved?

Please know that I am not judging anyone.  No, never, ever would I judge.  It is not my place to judge the heart of anyone.  Only God Himself has that priviledge.

I remember a conversation many many years ago with a young woman that I worked with.  She was not an overly warm person and had, most of the time, a critical tongue.  It didn’t seem to matter much to her who was on the receiving end of her tongue-lashing.  I don’t remember the conversation verbatum, but what I do remember her saying that it didn’t matter what she did or how she acted all week long, as long as she went to confession on Saturday.  I remember thinking, and sadly I did say in my outloud voice…  “I hope you don’t get hit by a car on the way to confession”.  Okay, I’ll agree that was really a terrible thing to say.

Over the last couple of years, I’ve made a couple of attempts to talk to my future daughter-in-law about Jesus.  This young woman was raised without any religion.  I’ve witnessed to her about my own life.  I shared Paul’s conversion story.  Any attempt to share the Gospel with her have been met by, “I’m a good person”, “I don’t need to be around a bunch of hypocrites”, “I don’t need Church”, etc, and the conversation quickly changes to something else… most times are about some “dude” she’s “trying out”.  It just makes my heart hurt.  I know the peace that came into my life when I gave my life to Jesus.  I know the miracles that I’ve seen, I know the peace that came when my former husband lost his battle to cancer.  I know the strength I found in His name when I barely had the strength to go on for another hour.

It makes me sad when I see both my future daughter-in-law and my future son-in-law both rejecting Jesus.  I worry for their eternity.  I worry that it will be too late.  But right now all I can do is pray and ask God to send whoever it is to them.  For that perfect person to cross their path, that perfect person that will be able to break through that solid wall that they have put up.  I pray Dear Lord…  help me to find a way to reach their hearts.