Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard him ourselves. Now we know that he is indeed the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42)
Read: Judges 9:22 – 11:28
Relate: My dad was a Blue Jays fan. I grew up liking the Oakland A’s. Then Jeter joined the bigs and I was officially converted to the Evil Empire. My dad played basketball straight on through college. I didn’t play organized basketball at any level. I love watching soccer. He coached it, but never could get in to watching it. He was a Bills fan (poor guy). I rooted first for the Niners and now the Jets. I inherited a lot of things from my dad like a love for ‘Cuse basketball, and a love for kids, but just because he liked or acted in some way did not make it automatic I would do the same. I can guarantee some of my political views have caused him to roll in his grave.
React: When it comes to Christianity, nobody is grandfathered in. If someone were to ask you, “Why are you a Christian?” and you answer, “Well, my parents are Christian, my cousins and aunts and uncles are Christian. My grandparents are Christian…” I’ve got news for you. You are not a Christian. You might come from a culture of Christianity. You might have a Christian inheritance, but until You have had a real personal encounter with the Savior of the World, you cannot claim to be His follower. Unlike some other world religions, Christianity has very little to do with a culture and even less an inheritance. Every generation, every individual must have their own encounter with Christ. Every Christian must, for themselves, acknowledge Jesus as their Lord.
Respond:
Jesus, I acknowledge You as my Lord. I acknowledge You as my Savior. I am grateful for the inheritance I have, but I understand that inheritance does not cover my relationship with You. Others can ell me about You, but I have seen with my own eyes. I have heard with my own ears. I have encountered in my own life the greatness of who You are. You are the living God. I belong to You.
THE RIVER WALK 
If people knew what it actually involved I’m not sure they would be so keen to identify as Christian.
Always good thoughts and contemplation points. I appreciate your blog. We all need to be more thankful and less of so many other things.
I love this: “I have encountered in my own life the greatness of who You are.” My hope is that when others see the total transformation of God’s greatness in our lives, they, too, will want to discover Him for themselves. Thanks for these words today. 🙂
First, thanks for these words. Second, nobody can gain eternal life and its promises by “riding on the coat tails” of their ancestors or present family members. Salvation all that it encompasses is a personal matter. I cannot have a relationship with Jesus Christ based upon my mother’s relationship with Jesus. Jesus desires a personal relationship with all of us.
Your post is dynamite and on time.
I was baptized just after birth as a Roman Catholic. I lost my “organized religion” after being betrayed by the “Church.” And because of history, I question how much has even been edited in the Bible “correctly” to suit those who control religion. I still recite the Lord’s prayer and believe in Him because of His responses/actions to my very personal requests in prayer. I have never been more free from that old “fear of God.” And I still believe in his presence. Nice blog site. Peace.
Reblogged this on themaskedrabbitsblog and commented:
I love this post from B.J. over at The River Walk.
He makes it quite plain. You can’t be a Christian by proxy. You need to make the decision yourself – not a parent, a grandparent, not a god parent but YOU!
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