To Be Or Not To Be A Christian?

The above question continues to be a question that our young people must answer for themselves. A young person may rationalize and say, “I am young — I’ll obey the Lord when I am old, and there is nothing else for me to do — I’ve got plenty of time.”

This is foolish thinking because we might not live to be old. James 4:14 says that our lives are comparative to a "vapor" that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. We are all going to die, but we just don’t know when (Hebrews 9:27)

There are many joys and "blessings" to be received in this life by serving God (Ephesians 1:3; cf. Romans 8:1; Romans 8:16-17; 2 Corinthians 6:16-18; Ephesians 1:4-7; Colossians 3:4; 1 Peter 1:1-4; 2 Peter 1:2-4; Revelation 2:10 — just to list a few of the blessings). Our Lord also stated in Matthew 19:29 that if we forsake all and follow Christ, then we shall receive a "hundredfold" in this life and everlasting life to come (cf. Job 42:12-17).

In Matthew 6:33, our Lord tells us to seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness “first,” and then all of life’s necessities will be added to us. Another important blessing as a Christian is the fellowship of our brothers and sisters in Christ. We can be in no better company here on this earth than when we are with the saints of God (Romans 16:1-16).

Most importantly, if we faithfully serve God here on earth, we will receive the "crown of life" (2 Timothy 4:7-8; James 1:12; Revelation 2:10) as well as that eternal mansion that awaits us (John 14:1-3).

—Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets

Related Articles:

• Why Become A Christian?
• What Being A Christian Means
• Why Delay In Becoming A Christian?