First Baptist Church, Athens
During childhood days and carrying over even into adulthood, many of us play the wishing game. You know how it works — If you had three wishes, then what would you wish for?
For just a moment, explore the possibilities. Would you ask for riches? What about health? Perhaps you would answer with the oft-repeated beauty pageant standard — world peace.
Now I am not trying to tease you or be sarcastic in anyway. But I would like to propose another avenue for personal fulfillment. The greatest Teacher of all time offered an approach to life that supersedes the wishing-to-make-it-so system.
He reminded us that ultimately wishing doesn’t bring fulfillment. He expressed clearly that worrying about the matters of life brings no benefit. Worrying can’t provide food or clothing, He said. Nor can we add to our height by wishing we could be taller.
By now, you have discerned that the great Teacher about whom I share is no one less than Jesus of Nazareth. Permit me to share His antidote to living a life of worry and, perhaps, a life of wishing.
He taught that if we seek “first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” then everything we need will come to us (Matt. 6:33). It is quite simple actually. If we seek God and His will first, then we will not need to wish or worry. God will take care of every need we have.
The greatest need everyone has is to be forgiven of his or her sin — to be made right with God. The fact of the matter is that Jesus of Nazareth, God’s only begotten Son, actually died for us to pay the price for our sin.
We don’t need to wish for forgiveness or worry that it might be withheld from us. By turning from our sin and turning to Jesus in faith, we can be assured that all is well.
Why not call on His name right now? “For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified and with the mouth one confesses and is saved” (Rom. 10:9–10).
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