Higher authority

You see what it is to be a Christian. It is to be governed by the authority of God in all things, and not by public sentiment, to live not by hopes and fears, but by supreme consecration of yourself unto God. You see that if you mean to be religious, you must count the cost. I will not flatter you. I will never try to coax you to become religious, by keeping back the truth. If you mean to be Christians, you must give yourselves wholly up to Christ. You cannot float along to heaven on the waves of public sentiment. I will not deceive you on this point.—Charles Finney

<idle musing>
If only we were as honest today...no pleading, begging, cajoling to get people to "give their heart to Jesus" in that statement. Just the plain, bare truth that it will cost you something—nay, everything!—should you decide to follow Jesus. Kind of reminds you of the rich young ruler in the gospels, doesn't it? He ended up walking away, but at least he didn't have a deluded sense that he was following Jesus.

Perhaps the first step in becoming a Christian is to realize that you aren't one yet...at least not if anything other than Jesus is at the center of your life, that is.

Too radical an idea? Perhaps, but you can't say it isn't a biblical one!
</idle musing>