Which is better? A present or a lottery ticket? A gift or a gamble?
When it comes to religion, most people seem to prefer a gamble instead of a gift.
“Now hold on just a minute—why gamble your soul for eternity?” Good question.
But millions of people do it every day. Why? Because their religion teaches them to gamble.
Many religions emphasize salvation by works. In other words, when you die, your good works are weighed against your bad. And if more than 51% are good, you get to go to heaven.
But how do you know if you have enough good works? What if you die before that point?
Most people want assurance about eternity, but a false religion gives none. It’s a gamble.
One religion promotes a martyr’s death as the path to paradise. Another religion offers an endless cycle of rebirths. The hope is of one day being able to escape the cycle. Good luck.
False religions offer no forgiveness, only fate and fear of an unknown eternity.
Some religions teach that all paths lead to the same God and the same truth. But that can’t be true when you compare faiths and discover opposite beliefs.
If you’re born into one of these traditions, there is pressure to keep the family faith. To remain true to your religion. So you must decide if you will pursue tradition or truth.
In his book “Jesus Among Other Gods,” Ravi Zacharias compares the claims of Christ with the founders of other major religions. (It is a book well worth your time.)
The book observes that only Jesus claimed to be from Heaven. To be the Son of God. Buddha did not claim that. Neither did Krishna or Mohammed.
Instead of pointing to a “path” of rules to follow, Jesus claimed to be the path. He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
Zacharias writes, “The message of Christ was not the introduction of a religion, but an introduction to truth about reality as God alone knows it.”
What God wants is a personal relationship with us through Christ, not just rule-keepers.
Some religions teach you must pay for your sins. But the Bible says that, because Jesus was sinless, God accepted his death on the cross to pay for all our sin. What amazing grace!
Jesus paid the price to reconcile man to God and change the human heart by the power of God. He did not come to offer us a new religion. He offers a relationship with a personal God.
The Bible reveals the truth about good works. It says, “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.”
Did you catch that? Salvation is a free gift through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not by works.
During this week before Easter, consider this: Jesus’ birth, life, death and resurrection are not just a myth; they are real facts of history. The evidence is there for all who will seek it. And if you will seek the truth about Christ, it will change your life forever.
It did mine. The day I put my faith in Christ is the day I found true peace and joy. I found forgiveness in Jesus. And that’s why one purpose of my life is to point people to the Savior.
The good news about faith in Jesus Christ is for people of all nations. It is for everyone who is tired of gambling on religious traditions. It is for people who want truth.
Only faith in Christ is a sure thing. For everyone. Because it’s a gift and not a gamble.
What will you trust for your eternity—God’s gift or man’s religion?
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Grace. Show all posts
Monday, April 6, 2009
Monday, May 26, 2008
No Problem
Someone does something nice for you so you say, “Thank you.”
And what response do you get? “No problem.” In other words, “I did it and it’s no big deal. You don’t owe me.”
What happened to “You’re welcome”?
Apparently the same thing that happened to “Please.”
Next time you’re in a fast food restaurant, listen to what you and the other customers say as you place an order: “I need a number three combo with a diet soda. Gimmee a large.”
Well hold it right there! What happened to our manners?
My mother taught me to say, “May I please have a diet soda?” Didn’t yours?
Here’s the problem: people know what to say--they just don’t want to say it.
I called one manager aside and asked if he knew the proper response to “Thank you.” He said, “You’re welcome.” So I asked why his employees didn’t say it. He couldn’t say.
It seems we have a problem with graciousness and gratitude. We are impatient and rude. Others are nowhere near as important as we are in our own eyes.
Our favorite radio station is WIFM – “What’s In It For Me?” And if the answer is “Nothing,” we don’t waste our time. And for many, manners seem like a waste of time.
Sociology doesn’t have an answer for this problem. At least not that I’ve seen. And the reason is (if we do what comes naturally) we’re totally and completely self-centered.
Someone will say, “Others don’t deserve to be treated nice. They’re morons.”
Ooooookay. There’s an attitude that will make you a lot of friends…
Just suppose there is someone willing to give you far more than you deserve. In fact they will overlook your snooty self-centered attitude, forgive your angry outbursts and stick with you no matter what. A forever best friend.
That could be life changing.
Exactly!
And that’s what God does for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus left his Heaven to come to our earth to rescue us from ourselves. To give us what we don’t deserve—that’s the essence of grace.
Blindly following our self-destructive instincts, we would never and could never change.
Justice demands consequences. Condemned by our own actions and failures, our future was bleak without a full pardon. And when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, taking our punishment on himself, pardon became possible.
Possibility becomes reality when we take God at his word, put our trust in Christ to pardon us from our “just desserts” and give us a whole new way of living.
Once you receive grace, it’s much easier to be gracious; being forgiven, to forgive others; being served and loved, to serve and love others. Gratitude has that effect.
So the next time you’re wondering what happened to people’s manners, remember this: manners and politeness grow out of our hearts. What we say to others reflects our true nature.
Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll adds, “The tongue is only a bucket which goes down into the well of the heart, dips out what is there and pours it forth upon the world.”
The only way to see people change for good is to change their heart. God knows that and he offers a new heart to us through faith in Christ.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
And what response do you get? “No problem.” In other words, “I did it and it’s no big deal. You don’t owe me.”
What happened to “You’re welcome”?
Apparently the same thing that happened to “Please.”
Next time you’re in a fast food restaurant, listen to what you and the other customers say as you place an order: “I need a number three combo with a diet soda. Gimmee a large.”
Well hold it right there! What happened to our manners?
My mother taught me to say, “May I please have a diet soda?” Didn’t yours?
Here’s the problem: people know what to say--they just don’t want to say it.
I called one manager aside and asked if he knew the proper response to “Thank you.” He said, “You’re welcome.” So I asked why his employees didn’t say it. He couldn’t say.
It seems we have a problem with graciousness and gratitude. We are impatient and rude. Others are nowhere near as important as we are in our own eyes.
Our favorite radio station is WIFM – “What’s In It For Me?” And if the answer is “Nothing,” we don’t waste our time. And for many, manners seem like a waste of time.
Sociology doesn’t have an answer for this problem. At least not that I’ve seen. And the reason is (if we do what comes naturally) we’re totally and completely self-centered.
Someone will say, “Others don’t deserve to be treated nice. They’re morons.”
Ooooookay. There’s an attitude that will make you a lot of friends…
Just suppose there is someone willing to give you far more than you deserve. In fact they will overlook your snooty self-centered attitude, forgive your angry outbursts and stick with you no matter what. A forever best friend.
That could be life changing.
Exactly!
And that’s what God does for us in Jesus Christ. Jesus left his Heaven to come to our earth to rescue us from ourselves. To give us what we don’t deserve—that’s the essence of grace.
Blindly following our self-destructive instincts, we would never and could never change.
Justice demands consequences. Condemned by our own actions and failures, our future was bleak without a full pardon. And when Jesus died on the cross for our sins, taking our punishment on himself, pardon became possible.
Possibility becomes reality when we take God at his word, put our trust in Christ to pardon us from our “just desserts” and give us a whole new way of living.
Once you receive grace, it’s much easier to be gracious; being forgiven, to forgive others; being served and loved, to serve and love others. Gratitude has that effect.
So the next time you’re wondering what happened to people’s manners, remember this: manners and politeness grow out of our hearts. What we say to others reflects our true nature.
Jesus said, “Out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.”
Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll adds, “The tongue is only a bucket which goes down into the well of the heart, dips out what is there and pours it forth upon the world.”
The only way to see people change for good is to change their heart. God knows that and he offers a new heart to us through faith in Christ.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Counterfeits
Would you know a counterfeit if you saw one? Many do not.
Counterfeit money is a real problem. A bogus bill looks like real cash but it isn’t. It seems valuable, but when you need it most, it lets you down.
Counterfeit religion is just like that, only worse. It’s an eternal let down.
Well hold on just a minute. What’s counterfeit religion?
The purpose of a counterfeit is to deceive—to make you think you have the real thing when, in fact, you have a worthless substitute. Counterfeit religion looks good but it’s a sham.
The Bible says true religion is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. True religion transforms your heart, not just your behavior. It changes your will from a “have to” faith to a “want to” faith. Your obedience to God springs from desire rather than duty.
A good example is the difference between living under Old Testament Law and living under New Testament Grace. Under the Law people trusted religious rule-keeping to save them. But they had to obey every rule. To fail in even one command was to be a complete failure. Law-keeping led to legalism and that led to worry and fear. Law breaking brought punishment.
It’s humanly impossible to obey God’s Laws perfectly. Plus keeping the Old Testament Law never made anyone righteous. God declared Abraham (revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims) righteous because of his faith in God, not because of his moral behavior.
Living under Grace is completely different than living under Law. A good way to understand Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Jesus alone kept God’s Law perfectly. He paid the penalty for our sin through his death on the cross. So salvation is now a free gift.
Through Grace, we can become children of God by trusting in Jesus Christ—by believing the Bible when it says his death provides forgiveness for all our sins. As his children, God declares us righteous. We enjoy the full benefits of God’s promises, protection and provision.
Want to know how to identify a counterfeit religion? Remember the four math processes.
Counterfeit religion MULTIPLIES law-keeping. It says faith is good but you must also keep that religion’s laws, ordinances and sacraments--or you lose. It’s faith plus works.
Counterfeit religion DIVIDES your loyalties. You must be loyal to God AND absolutely loyal to the religion’s leaders—no questioning allowed. The Bible says our loyalty is to be to God alone. It warns of false teachers who seek to build a following for themselves.
Counterfeit religion ADDS to the Bible. Its leaders may say the Bible is good but they add that their special book, teaching or revelation is absolutely necessary for your salvation. God warns anyone who would change the Bible, add to it or take away from it. He will judge them.
Counterfeit religion SUBTRACTS from the person of Jesus Christ. It says Jesus was not God but was merely a prophet or a man who became a god. However the Bible clearly declares Jesus Christ to be fully God and fully man. That he is our only hope of forgiveness and salvation.
Counterfeit religion always leaves out Grace—that salvation is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ. True Biblical faith depends completely on Grace. Without it we’re lost.
God warns us through the Apostle Paul, “I am astonished that you are so quickly… turning to different gospel—which is really no gospel at all…. Evidently some people are… trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.” Enough said.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
Counterfeit money is a real problem. A bogus bill looks like real cash but it isn’t. It seems valuable, but when you need it most, it lets you down.
Counterfeit religion is just like that, only worse. It’s an eternal let down.
Well hold on just a minute. What’s counterfeit religion?
The purpose of a counterfeit is to deceive—to make you think you have the real thing when, in fact, you have a worthless substitute. Counterfeit religion looks good but it’s a sham.
The Bible says true religion is a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. True religion transforms your heart, not just your behavior. It changes your will from a “have to” faith to a “want to” faith. Your obedience to God springs from desire rather than duty.
A good example is the difference between living under Old Testament Law and living under New Testament Grace. Under the Law people trusted religious rule-keeping to save them. But they had to obey every rule. To fail in even one command was to be a complete failure. Law-keeping led to legalism and that led to worry and fear. Law breaking brought punishment.
It’s humanly impossible to obey God’s Laws perfectly. Plus keeping the Old Testament Law never made anyone righteous. God declared Abraham (revered by Jews, Christians and Muslims) righteous because of his faith in God, not because of his moral behavior.
Living under Grace is completely different than living under Law. A good way to understand Grace is God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense. Jesus alone kept God’s Law perfectly. He paid the penalty for our sin through his death on the cross. So salvation is now a free gift.
Through Grace, we can become children of God by trusting in Jesus Christ—by believing the Bible when it says his death provides forgiveness for all our sins. As his children, God declares us righteous. We enjoy the full benefits of God’s promises, protection and provision.
Want to know how to identify a counterfeit religion? Remember the four math processes.
Counterfeit religion MULTIPLIES law-keeping. It says faith is good but you must also keep that religion’s laws, ordinances and sacraments--or you lose. It’s faith plus works.
Counterfeit religion DIVIDES your loyalties. You must be loyal to God AND absolutely loyal to the religion’s leaders—no questioning allowed. The Bible says our loyalty is to be to God alone. It warns of false teachers who seek to build a following for themselves.
Counterfeit religion ADDS to the Bible. Its leaders may say the Bible is good but they add that their special book, teaching or revelation is absolutely necessary for your salvation. God warns anyone who would change the Bible, add to it or take away from it. He will judge them.
Counterfeit religion SUBTRACTS from the person of Jesus Christ. It says Jesus was not God but was merely a prophet or a man who became a god. However the Bible clearly declares Jesus Christ to be fully God and fully man. That he is our only hope of forgiveness and salvation.
Counterfeit religion always leaves out Grace—that salvation is a free gift from God through Jesus Christ. True Biblical faith depends completely on Grace. Without it we’re lost.
God warns us through the Apostle Paul, “I am astonished that you are so quickly… turning to different gospel—which is really no gospel at all…. Evidently some people are… trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. But if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned.” Enough said.
Listen to the Bible; it’s great for your soul!
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