Do We Really Believe?

Charles Peace was a British criminal in the late 1800s. When he was about to be hung for his crimes, he was confronted by a priest who was warning him about the dangers of hell. To this, Peace replied, “Mr. Chaplin, Sir, if I believed even half of what you believe about hell, I would crawl across the length and bredth of England on my hands and knees, even if it were strewn with broken glass, to save one soul from that hell that you so glibly speak about.”

Wow.

In chapel yesterday, the speaker asked us the question, "Do we really believe what we say we believe?" He had three categories: prayer, hell, and what God says in His Word. It challenged me to think about each of these areas and consider, do I really believe what I say I believe? Would I, like Peace, crawl the length and bredth of England on my hands and knees to save one soul from the terrifying reality of hell? Do I daily commit myself to prayer for the lost souls around me and the needs and burdens that I have? Do I truly believe the promises God has given us in His Word?

Sometimes, I wonder.

I live life so flippantly at times. God has really been convicting me recently about how much I take my life, my possessions, my salvation, my health for granted. How much I treat God as a little jack-in-the-box that I wind up and let loose whenever I need help. Whenever I want help.

But He's so much bigger than I can ever fathom. And His plans are always good, even if I don't think so. Do I really believe that? If I'm living life pouting in a corner because I can't get my way, do I really and truly believe that He works all things together for my good?

Hmmmm...