"I DON'T want to be a Christian, yet," said Willie M―, "for I should have to give up my cards and football, and pull a long face." One who overheard the lad's words said, "Willie, you are beginning at the wrong end altogether. You don't become a Christian by 'giving up,' but by 'receiving.’”
Willie was amazed. He had the old monkish idea, that in order to be a holy person, he had to give up everything, and become very sad, and sober looking. The words were strange to him: he couldn't make them out.
“What do you mean by 'receiving?'" asked Willie, anxious to ascertain what his friend meant.
“I mean that God wants you to receive His Son to be your Savior, and His gift of eternal life to be your own. If you do, the giving up will come all right. I have seen a child playing with an old broken toy; but, worthless as it was, if you had asked the child to "give it up," that would only have made the child grasp it the firmer. But, suppose you had brought a nice new top or doll, and presented it. When the child received your gift, he would be so satisfied and delighted with it, so occupied with the new thing, that the old broken toy would drop out of his hand, and the child would forget all about it. Now, Willie, my boy, there you have a 'receiving' and a 'giving up'-but you will notice the receiving comes first, and the giving up next. It's no use talking to you about giving up, for you have not yet received Christ. Receive Him now as your Savior, and the rest will come all right.”
"I'm very sure you'll never see me throwing away my pleasures even if I did become a Christian. I would not go so far with it as you do.”
“All right, Willie, my boy. You make sure of the first point, anyhow. You receive the Son of God, His love, His peace, His salvation, and then we'll talk over the other points after, but not until the first great transaction is done.”
Willie did receive Christ, and so filled was he with the peace of God and the new-found joy, that he quite forgot his good resolution, not to give up anything. The love of Christ filled and thrilled his heart, and constrained him to serve and follow Him. The old habits and former pleasures dropped of unconsciously like autumn leaves, and he never missed them.
Reader, it is not by "giving up" but by "receiving" that you become a Christian―by receiving Christ.