I had a dream once that vividly showed me the difference between the religions of the world and faith in Jesus Christ. I live in the high desert so perhaps this is why my dream took place in a desert.

Our desert is not a bleak, desolate stretch of sand. Instead, the gently sloping hills and dry river beds are dotted with Joshua trees, a variety of desert brush, and blooming wild flowers and cacti. Despite its beauty, the high desert is a harsh environment with intense heat and little water.

Wandering across the colorful desert pavement, I was tremendously hot and thirsty. A startled jackrabbit bounded out from beneath a creosote bush. Other unseen animals remained in their cool burrows, but I couldn't get out of the sun. Joshua trees afford very little shade, and unless you have a knowledge of survival skills or can open the barrel cactus, there is no water. Only a dusty tortoise seemed unbothered by the heat as it slowly chomped on a beavertail cactus.

In my dream, a kind-faced stranger approached me carrying many canteens. At this point I became aware that there were other, equally thirsty, people in my same predicament. Each of us was given a canteen brimming with cool, fresh water. Without hesitation, I thirstily gulped mine in thankfulness. Once revived, I glanced toward the others. To my amazement, they were not drinking. Instead, they were holding their canteens close, thinking themselves saved, without ever drinking the water.

"Take a drink, it's refreshing," I encouraged.

"Oh, no," answered one woman. "It feels wonderful just to hold the cool canteen against my forehead."

"That won't help. You have to actually drink the water so it can replenish the fluids in your body to keep you from dying," I tried to explain.

"The comfort of hearing the water slosh in my canteen is all I need. I'll be fine," said an older gentleman.

One young man even went so far as to playfully splash the cool water on himself and his friends, but he never once took a sip.

No amount of explanation or pleading would convince my companions to drink their water, and it was impossible to force them. As I helplessly watched, each slowly succumbed to dehydration and death, all the while clutching the containers of water that could have saved them.

How sad and pointless! Why couldn't my desert friends understand that just holding the canteen was senseless. Drinking the water was the only way to prevent death.

Then I realized. Religions of the world think the same as these people. They know there is a god. Often, they even believe Jesus Christ existed and lived on earth. But instead of accepting Christ by faith as God's free gift of salvation and drinking of the Water of Life, they just keep him close. They read his teachings and even try in their own power to follow his laws, but they don't accept Christ as their personal Saviour. They don't realize that faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour is the only way to eternal life.

Holding a canteen on a hot, dry desert is not going to save anyone from death caused by dehydration. Only drinking the water will. In the same way, reading about Christ and believing he was a great teacher is not going to save anyone from eternal death. Only by admitting you are without hope on your own and by asking Jesus Christ into your heart by faith will you graciously be given God's gift of eternal life.

Story by Claudia ©

Please visit her site - "Under Grace"

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