RECEIVE AND BELIEVE< ?xml version='1.0' encoding='utf-8'?>

John 1:1-18

ÒBut as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.Ó(John1: 12) The words to be attentive to in this Scripture are  ÒreceiveÓ and ÒbelieveÓ. It is great to receive Jesus, but it is grace to be able to receive and believe. When He has been received, then the ones that receive Him have the right to become the children of God. Many have rights, but they do not use or activate the right they have because of failure of taking it to the level of belief. Have you been passing in a downtown area where invitations to a promotion or sales activity are being handed out? Every one that has received such invitation and are able to attend and the one that received the invitation and decide not to go and attend the promotion have the same right to claim a spot or sit at such promotion. The difference between the one that receives the invitation and believes in it enough to attend is different from the one that receives the invitation and did not believe in it to attend, but both will claim to have been invited. This applies to anyone who actually received Christ as Lord and Savior, but chooses not to live the life of a believer. Carrying invitations to be lifted up and not letting the one who invited you to carry you will not lift you to receive the privileges of being invited. To receive Jesus and not believe Him is not complete and it will not save the receiver when it is time for judgments. Neither will only believing Him and not receiving Him deliver salvation unto such one. John 12:42, ÒNevertheless even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue;Ó Can anyone confess what has not been received? The statement testifies to the possibility of believing and not receiving Him. This is evident that to believe and not confess Him has always been since His time on earth and today it is still among many of the crowd to believe and not receive Him or to receive and not believe in Him. As a claimed believer, does you way of living demonstrate the life of a believer? By virtue of your conduct, can you be identified as a believer of Christ without you verbal introduction as a Christian? If not, you have to check if indeed you have received the Lord. Jesus, at the time of rounding up of His ministry on the face of earth, stated ÒFor I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.Ó (John 17:8) JesusÕ statement shows that receiving and believing is what testifies knowing Him. To receive and not believe or to believe and not receive is incomplete knowledge of the Lord. Do you believe but have not received Him into your life or do you only receive Him as Lord but not believe in Him? Consider where you are standing in the Lord.