To All Who Doubt or Don’t Believe

“I believe Christianity is an evil that needs to be destroyed.”

This is not something I believe or would ever say. It was said to me one time on a mission trip. I struck up a conversation with a young man—for the purposes of this devotional, we’ll call him Kevin—who knew I was a Christian. Kevin, however, was an atheist. We had a lengthy conversation that covered our differing perspectives on objective morality and who Jesus is, as well as less trivial matters like the history and folklore of the country Kevin is from. 

However, the part of the conversation that stood out to me the most was something Kevin said about his worldview. He said that, for most atheists, there comes a startling moment when they realize they are going to die. He said that for him, this came at around age 11 or 12, and that there are even entire organizations dedicated to helping atheists when they come to this moment of crisis. Kevin told me that he understands why people believe in Jesus, life after death, and have religion. He said that the promise of seeing your loved ones again is beautiful. It broke my heart to hear him say these things, that he sees why people believe and find comfort in faith, but that he doesn’t believe himself. 

I would love to share with you that during this conversation, Kevin turned to Christ in faith and is now a Christian. This, however, did not happen that day. But I was able to share the gospel with Kevin. I told him about how I believe that Jesus came to earth and died so that we can be forgiven of what we have done wrong and live forever with Him. I told him of how I have experienced God’s peace and presence personally in my life and that I honestly could not have made it through these difficult times without my belief in Jesus. 

I share all of this not to pat myself on the back or to hold this story up as a great example of evangelism. Truth be told, I am ashamed of the times I have not shared the gospel and let my fear keep me from obeying this command. No, I write and share this story with you for a couple of reasons. 

First of all, if you do know Jesus, I want you to know that He is real, He loves you, and He died for you. I don’t have the knowledge or the space to delve into this specific sea of knowledge, but there is a wealth of evidence supporting the Bible and the historical truth of Jesus. Our faith is not a set of cleverly devised myths, but we have eyewitness accounts of Jesus’ life and majesty (2 Peter 1:16). So if you ever struggle with your faith, I encourage you to think about the logical reasons to believe in Christ but also look back on how He has shown Himself in your life. If you know Him, you have no doubt experienced His power and strength in many ways. 

But if you, like Kevin, do not believe in Jesus, please seek Him out with an open heart. Do some research, talk to a Christian friend, or read the Bible for the very first time! Life may seem pointless or hopeless, but Jesus gives purpose and hope to all who turn to Him. 

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13