Bet your life
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”
“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
On the Wall of my office is a drawing by Leighton Jones it’s a caricature of a bookie. It’s called the honest bookie. As I looked at it I wondered how many people gamble every day with their lives. And I’m not talking about dare devils or people engaged in dangerous work or risk takers. I’m talking about the average person.
We all know we will not get out of this life alive. The ultimate statistic tells us the day your born is the day you move inevitably toward your passing from this life. Most think little of it. Still it doesn’t take away the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”
Some say God does not exist. Many will tell you that if your good outweighs your bad you will go to heaven. But how do you know if your good will outweigh your bad by God’s standard?
As a Christian I believe you can know here and now where you will spend eternity.
C. S. Lewis put it this way,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” C.S. Lewis.
The apostle Paul said,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
It is by the grace of God we get to heaven.
Christians believe God knowing mans shortcomings reached down in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. John 3:16-18.
I know there are people out there who do not believe a word I have written. I respect their beliefs. I respect them because God has given each person a free will. That freewill extends to believing in God or not.
The question however is are you sure in your belief?
Blaise Pascal wrote,
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.
Where are you placing your wager?
Please think about it.
“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?”“Yes Lord” she told Him, “I believe you are the Christ the Son of God, who was to come into the world,” John 11:25,26,27.
On the Wall of my office is a drawing by Leighton Jones it’s a caricature of a bookie. It’s called the honest bookie. As I looked at it I wondered how many people gamble every day with their lives. And I’m not talking about dare devils or people engaged in dangerous work or risk takers. I’m talking about the average person.
We all know we will not get out of this life alive. The ultimate statistic tells us the day your born is the day you move inevitably toward your passing from this life. Most think little of it. Still it doesn’t take away the question, “Where will you spend eternity?”
Some say God does not exist. Many will tell you that if your good outweighs your bad you will go to heaven. But how do you know if your good will outweigh your bad by God’s standard?
As a Christian I believe you can know here and now where you will spend eternity.
C. S. Lewis put it this way,
“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” C.S. Lewis.
The apostle Paul said,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” Ephesians 2:8,9.
It is by the grace of God we get to heaven.
Christians believe God knowing mans shortcomings reached down in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus Christ.
The apostle Paul writing to the Romans said,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:6-8.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. John 3:16-18.
I know there are people out there who do not believe a word I have written. I respect their beliefs. I respect them because God has given each person a free will. That freewill extends to believing in God or not.
The question however is are you sure in your belief?
Blaise Pascal wrote,
“Belief is a wise wager. Granted that faith cannot be proved, what harm will come to you if you gamble on its truth and it proves false? If you gain, you gain all; if you lose, you lose nothing. Wager, then, without hesitation, that He exists.” Blaise Pascal.
Where are you placing your wager?
Please think about it.
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