No Other Options

From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. Then Jesus said to the twelve, "Do you also want to go away?" But Simon Peter answered Him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

— John 6:66–69

 

"Where else can we go?" Peter says. He had come to realize that no one else could save him from his sin. He understood what Jesus was saying. "We get it, Lord. We know what you are saying. You alone are the Savior. There are no other options."

For many it is repulsive, offensive, to think they are sinners in need of a Savior. They can live with religion. They can even live with the idea of having Jesus as an example to follow in life. But He is more than that. He died on the cross because you have sinned and you need to cry out to Him. Some might say, "I don't need to do that." Oh, yes, you do.

You don't realize how perilous your situation is. You don't realize how much you need a Savior. You might think you are a good person. But the fact of the matter is we have all sinned. We have all fallen short; we do not measure up to God's standard, which is perfection.

You're in need of Jesus Christ. He offers His forgiveness to you. What are you going to do? Come to Him.

The Best Antidote for Worry

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.

— Philippians 4:6

It is not an issue of whether hardship will come into our lives; it is an issue of what we will do when it actually does. Our natural inclination is to freak out, to stress out, and to worry. But that doesn't help—it actually makes it worse. So what should we do instead? We need to pray.

We all have what could be described as a natural reflex. A natural reflex is just what we do. We don't have to teach a child a reflex. If a child touches something hot, he will recoil. He doesn't leave his hand there, but will pull it back. That is a natural reflex.

But then there is a conditioned reflex, and we learn this through time. We learn how to do certain things. When you learn to drive, for instance, it is not easy at first. You are conscious of everything you are doing. But after awhile, it gets easier. And before you know it, your driving has become a series of conditioned reflexes.

In the same way, we need to develop a conditioned reflex when it comes to hardship in our lives. In times of trouble, some turn to other people. There is a place for that, but ultimately, people cannot meet all our needs. No one will be able to do that for us. Others turn to alcohol. But that only creates new problems. Others tune out and pretend that bad things aren't really happening.