THE POINT IS . . . Now is the Time to Decide What You Truly Believe!

The Indiana Jones movies were one of the most popular movie series of all time. In the climactic scene of the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade,” the bad guy (Walter Donovan), Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) and Indy’s father (Sean Connery) all meet in a cave thought to house the Holy Grail — the chalice Christ drank from at the Last Supper. In folklore, the cup is believed to have healing powers for the body and bestows eternal life to the person who drinks from it.

Several enemy soldiers unsuccessfully tried to make it through a gauntlet of booby traps set up to prevent anyone from reaching the cave where the chalice was hidden. So, in desperation, the bad guy shoots Indy’s father, critically wounding him. Indy quickly realizes that only the water from the Holy Grail can save his father’s life.

With a contemptuous attitude, the villain shouts at Indy, “Now is the time to decide what you really believe!” Does Indy really believe that the Holy Grail exists? Is Indy willing to risk his own life to retrieve the grail to save the life of his father? With no thought for his own life, Indy ran through the gauntlet of booby traps to retrieve the Holy Grail and does indeed save his father’s life.

Please pay careful attention to the line from the movie — “Now is the time to decide what you really believe!” As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we, too, must decide what we really believe. If we really believe that Jesus saves souls — we need to be sharing the gospel with our family and friends. If we really believe that Jesus is coming soon — we need to be busy conducting the Lord’s business. If we really believe that prayer changes things — we need to spend more time on our knees before our Lord. If we really believe God blesses a cheerful giver — we need to give our tithes and offerings to the Lord’s work. If we really believe God will not forgive those who do not forgive others — we need to forgive everyone who has offended us.

May it never be said that we do not practice what we say that we “believe.” The Apostle James admonished believers: “Do not merely listen to the word… Do what it says” (James 1:22 NIV). There is a very unflattering word for those who say but do not do, and Jesus used that word to describe the religious leaders of Israel in His day (Matt. 23:13-15, 23, 25, 27, 29). May He never say it about us! “Now is the time to decide what you really believe!”