Have you ever noticed that just when you think something is there for you…it isn’t? That morning, we had kind of a shock at the Brown house.

    Several years ago, we put in an above ground pool in the back yard. It was about 4 1/2 feet deep and 24 feet round. In other words, it was a good size pool — holding about 15,000 gallons of water.  Remember that fact. 15,000 gallons of water. That’s going to be important here shortly.

    That morning, Paula went out into the backyard and didn’t notice anything especially different about the yard. She went about her work and happened to glance over at the swimming pool.

    Imagine her surprise when she saw that it was completely empty of water! All 15,000 gallons were gone. I’m talking not enough water in there to cover your foot. Gone.

    Somehow, during a storm the day before, our pool vacuum hose was tossed halfway out of the pool, with the other half remaining in the pool. It turned into a siphon that drained just about every drop of water in that pool.

    Needless to say, we didn’t get to swim that day. It took over two days to fill the pool up with water again!

    As I thought about this incident, it reminded me again that the things of this world were like our swimming pool that day…they are empty. And they don’t last.

    If you put your trust and your happiness and your hope in possessions and property and the things this world has to offer, sooner or later you’ll find that they are empty and gone when you turn to them.

   Only Jesus Christ can truly satisfy and endure for all times. The things of this world will pass away, but not the Eternal One. He will stay with you forever and ever and ever! 

   Only Jesus can provide truly satisfying and lasting hope and joy and peace. Everything else is just temporary. You go to bed one night with the full swimming pool, and you wake up to an empty circle of plastic and metal that does nothing to satisfy.

     What about your life today? Are you putting too much emphasis on things that don’t last, things that will leave you feeling empty?

     Or, will you decide today to put your trust in Jesus Christ – the only One who is always there for you when You need Him?

     Becoming a follower of Christ – and securing your eternal life in heaven when this life is over – is as easy as “ABC”

A = “Admit” that you are a sinner and cannot save yourself.

    “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)  “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves:  it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8,9)

B = “Believe” that Jesus Christ died for your sins.

    “…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures;” (1 Corinthians 15:3) “But God commendeth His love towards us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” (Romans 5:8)

C = “Choose” to accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior.

    “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus Christ, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” (Romans 10:9) “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out…” (Acts 3:19)

In a nutshell…

    “…repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:21)

If you want to make that decision right now, pray this prayer:

    “God, I realize today that I am a sinner and there is nothing that I can do to save myself.  I believe that Jesus Christ lived a perfect life and died on the cross to pay for my sins.  As best I know how, I accept Jesus into my life and ask You to save me and guide me from now on.  In Jesus’ Name I pray, amen.”

    If you’d decided to make that decision today, may I be the first to say that it’s the greatest choice you’ll ever make.  And may I suggest you do three simple things…

    1) Post a comment here to tell us.  We’d love to rejoice with you over your new relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

    2) Begin reading the Bible.  Start with the book of John and just start reading one chapter each day.  You may not understand it all at once, but that’s okay.  There will be enough that you DO understand to help you begin living as a new follower of Christ.

    3) Find a local Bible-believing church to visit.  Tell the pastor of the church that you are a new Christian and want to learn more about living as a Christian.