Good men and women and girls and boys should WANT it to be true

My friend who is an agnostic is in the hospital. Heart problems. Kidney problems. Intestinal issues. Now, he emailed me this:

I think I had a small stroke last night. My left arm and the left side of my face are lightly numb now. While I was lying in bed last night I had very painful pain across my chest which lasted for a few minutes. But it’s all ok. My body is just wearing out.

Please pray for him to trust Christ.

I wrote him back.

***

Wow. Can you move your left arm and hand? You email said that they were numb. So, I hope that means you can move them. What results did you get from the tests?

Are you scared? I am scared for you.

We're all wearing out. That means me, too. This virus might get me. If not, then something else will one day.

My hope/prayer/belief is that the scriptures are truly true.

"Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without his unfolding grace. These hard times are small potatoes compared to the coming good times, the lavish celebration prepared for us. There’s far more here than meets the eye. The things we see now are here today, gone tomorrow. But the things we can’t see now will last forever." II Corinthians 4:16-18 (Msg)

At the individual level, Jesus fills the biggest holes in our hearts and answers the deepest questions in our souls: Who am I? Where did I come from? Why am I here? What's wrong with the world? How can it ever be fixed? Where am I headed? At the cultural level, our faith, when applied and lived out rightly by unselfish, humble Christian women and men, powerfully addresses the economic, racial, political, and social problems in the world.

Think about this.

In Christ, we get...

a new name and a new identity;
adoption into God’s family as His beloved children;
the forgiveness of all our sins - past, present, and future;
the personal experience of God’s eternal love;
the ability to see, seize, and share Christ’s glory;
an appreciation of the Spirit's work in the world;
a personal relationship with the Father;
an everlasting friendship with the Son;
the comforting indwelling of the Spirit;
a slow but radical change in our lives from the inside out;
a growing freedom from our past guilt and shame;
a supernatural peace in our present; 

a confident hope about our future;
power and meaning in the face of our own suffering;
a membership in the Church - a universal, counter-cultural community;
an exciting and meaningful mission to do justice and bring mercy to those who suffer;
guidance, protection, and favor from a God who is for us, not against us;
relationships with believing friends that will go on forever;
the promise of our own future glory and everlasting home;
confidence in the face of death that the best is yet to come; and
the promise of enjoying a new heavens and a new earth - a perfectly restored world where every day Is better than the one before.

I believe that it's only in Christ that my deepest hopes and dreams will ever be fulfilled. Only in Him will all the up-and-down plot lines of my life ever come together in a meaningful and satisfying resolution. The storyline of my life will have an everlastingly happy ending.

I know you are not sure if Christianity is true or not. But given all that I just wrote and shared, wouldn't you agree that good men and women and girls and boys should WANT it to be true?

I think it is. And more importantly, I believe it is. And I want you to believe it, too.

You're my friend. Let's be friends in heaven, too.

It's my prayer that you trust fully in Christ.

I'm praying for you to get better soon.