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Believe


For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

          Remember the scene from E.T. where the mom read Peter Pan to her daughter? Clap your hands to bring Tinker back to life? How silly! But that’s how some of us see “believing.” 
          Some of us rejoice. “You mean all I have to do is believe? I don’t have to change my life? I don’t have to give up things I love, or do things I hate? Just believe?” But what does it mean to believe? Is it merely the folly of claiming something to be true for you have no evidence? I’ve met a few people who believe that. One said, “I don’t believe in evolution. It happened.” He discounts belief in his first statement and makes a statement of belief in the second.
          Belief is that which produce an effect. If I believe it is going to rain, I find an umbrella or put off an expedition. If I believe my favorite TV show is coming on in ten minutes, I go to the bathroom and the kitchen and put an end to activities that might interrupt it. If I believe I will catch Ebola if I walk down the street, I don’t walk down the street. So in a way, Peter Pan was right. If you believe, you act.     
          What does it mean to believe in Jesus Christ? I can’t speak for you, but for me, it involves looking to Him for my answers and acting on them.

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