Filling The God-Shaped Void

I was recently asked about sharing Jesus with a loved one: “If becoming a Christian creates tension between the flesh (earthly desires) and the Spirit, that did not exist before, then why become a Christian?”

It is a great question. The easy answer is that becoming a Christian means receiving eternal life, which is not available otherwise, but before I could even say that, the individual said, “And don’t say eternal life, ‘cause they don’t care about that. I’m talking about right now. If they have a good life that is fun, why do they need to accept Jesus?”

Obviously, that makes the answer more challenging. Even talking about having an abundant life doesn’t fly, as they already like their life. What does Jesus add to that besides a tension between the things they like and what He says is right?

How would you answer this question?

My answer was this…Jesus said in Mark 2:17,

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.”

If they are completely satisfied with their life, you probably won’t convince them they need Jesus, but you can still plant a seed, and one day, when they realize that God-shaped void in their heart is empty, and what this life offers them no longer satisfies, that seed will have an opportunity to germinate and begin to produce real fruit in their life.

Just two chapters later, in Mark 4:1-20, Jesus used the parable of the sower to show us that it is not our responsibility to make people come to Christ, but to spread seed (good news). Some will land on the path and never take root. Some will land on rocky soil and look like it has a chance, but quickly die off. Some will land among the weeds (negative influences) and get choked out. But some will land on fertile soil, take root and produce fruit.  

When it does, that individual will quickly realize what they had been missing all this time…a relationship with a God who loves them and wants the very best for them, both now and for all of eternity.

There is nothing better than knowing Christ and beginning the process of becoming who God created you to be. I pray that you, and your loved ones, experience that sooner than later.

Pastor Ken

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