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Like a Pumpkin

Like a Pumpkin
By Dennis Huebshman

A lady recently asked her co-worker what it was like to be a Christian?

The lady replied, “It’s like being a pumpkin: God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off you may have gotten from the other pumpkins. Then he cuts the top off and scoops out all the yucky stuff He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc., then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.”

As a disclaimer, He will only do this for those who accept Him and His Son, Jesus. For those who are not comfortable with this, be assured God will never force Himself on anyone. He leaves you with the free-will to accept or reject Him and/or His Son.

By the way, you can’t have one without the other. It’s a package deal. Let’s start with a very familiar verse – John 3:16: For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.

Now, we need to go on to verses 17 and 18 to get the full picture: For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him (18 is very important too) He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

If you have any doubt about the Father’s intention, go back and re-read the above verses again. He didn’t give the inspired writers of the Bible words to waste.

Speaking of waste, please know when God says something, He really means it. If it gets repeated, He is adamant about the issue. A few examples are the covenants God made starting with Abraham in Genesis 12. This covenant is repeated to Isaac, then Jacob (Israel) and also King David. He’s very serious about this, and it still holds true for His people today.

Next, when He says ALL who call on the name of the Lord will be saved in Joel 2:32, then again in Acts 2:21 and also Romans 10:13, I believe He wants this point driven home. Note, He didn’t say all Jews, all Muslims, all Christians, all Buddhists or any other organized religion. He said ALL – period. If everyone in this world today called out to Him to be saved, it would be done.

Problem is, God knows everyone will not accept Jesus. There’s that “human nature” thing that gets in the way. He gave us all free will to accept or reject Him and leaves the choice completely up to us. If He forced us to Love Him, which He could feasibly do, it would not be a true relationship. Therefore, those who really do accept God and His Son are extra special to Him. He even guarantees an eternal life with Him, and should the tribulation start we won’t be here to go through it. He repeats this promise several times in the New Testament.

Also, He gives us a path to follow when we sin, and we all sin and fall short as told in Romans 3:23, and that means you and I are not perfect. Jesus was the ONLY perfect person ever to walk this earth. So, as in 1 John 1: 8-10, it says if we confess our sins to the Father through Jesus, He will forgive us. (paraphrased) This doesn’t mean to go out and purposely sin, but when (not if) we do fall short, we can be assured He will forgive us. For anyone who doesn’t accept Jesus, their sins will be paid in full by themselves at the white Throne Judgment. Not a pleasant thought.

God’s plan for us is for everyone as He shows no partiality toward anyone. (Romans 2:11) Yes, the Jews are His chosen people, but even those who do not accept Yeshua (Jesus) will be lost in the Lake Of Fire at the end. Christians are saved by the covenant of the cross, but again Jesus has to be accepted as a condition of this covenant. Jesus died for EVERYONE. He tells about being the Good Shepherd in John 10:11-15 for His sheep (Jews). He goes on to say He also came to save others not from His flock (Gentiles) in John 10:16. He gave His life WILLINGLY, not forced (John 10:18) because He loves His creation so much.

Yes, Jesus is God and was there in Genesis 1:1 and is waiting for us today. He will come again to take us to Him John 14: 1-28), but only those that believe in Him. John 14:6 spells this out very plainly – He said I am the Way, the Truth and the Life and no one comes to the Father except by Me.

I could go on and on, but it all boils down to having a relationship or not. Jesus laid his sinless life down for us so that we would have our sins perfectly covered and be able to live with the God – Jesus forever. To go through what He did with all His pain and suffering, and for Him to be separated from the Father for even a brief instant just to seal our pardon is an astounding act of Love. I’d say He really does love us even though we don’t deserve Him.

Personally, I have a relationship with My Jesus. I’m proud He was willing to save me, and I look forward to being with Him soon. There’s plenty of room and He would love for you to be there too.

If you haven’t already, call out to Him NOW. You don’t have to be in a church building or have this done in front of any man or woman. Just ask Him to forgive you for your sins and tell Him you want Him ONLY as your Savior. Remember Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13 – He promises you will be saved.

You can do this out loud, or just concentrate on it in your mind – but mean it. If you just asked Him into your heart – Welcome to the Family!

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