Tuesday, February 28, 2017
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I have to confess, I didn't exactly go storming into the Computer Age. I was sort of carried into it. Yeah, you know, back in the days when I was getting into that world, I was returning from my first trip to an Indian reservation, and I had a heart full that I wanted to write into a report. So, as usual in those days, I pulled out my trusty pen and paper and handwrote my report. It took the whole trip from Arizona to New Jersey. Well, after one of my friends read my report, he called my wife and said, "I don't want Ron wasting any more time writing things like this by hand. He has to get a computer." My wife agreed, but she indicated we didn't have the funds to get a computer. My doctor friend said, "That doesn't matter. I intend to buy a computer for him!" I was stunned, and shortly thereafter, the owner of a wonderful personal computer. Ever since then, what a difference, huh? I mean that's greatly impacted my life!
I'm Ron Hutchcraft, and I want to have A Word With You today about "The Biggest Spiritual Mistake In the World."
I couldn't have afforded to buy a computer. The only way I got one was that someone who cared about me gave it to me as a gift. Had I tried to pay my friend for it, had I tried to work for my friend to earn it somehow, it would have no longer been a gift. Right?
Tragically, most of the religious people on this planet are making the mistake of trying to earn from God what He says we can only have as a gift. In fact, I believe that's why so many people observe their religion's ceremonies, attend their religion's meetings, and try to live by their religion's rules. They are trying to earn eternal life in heaven by doing good things and being good people. And it's a good thing to live a good life, but it's a deadly thing to depend on your good life to get you into heaven.
That's the message of much of the Bible, including our word for today from the Word of God in Romans 6:23. God says, "The wages of sin is death." In other words, what we get paid for running our own lives is spiritual death-eternal separation from God. That's the bad news. But then God says, "But the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Now, notice-eternal life isn't the reward of God that we earn with a good life. It's the gift of God which we cannot possibly earn. We can earn hell; we can't earn heaven.
In fact, God says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "It is by grace (which that's undeserved love) you have been saved. It is the gift of God – not by works..." Could it be any plainer? We can't get to heaven by Protestant works, or Catholic works, or Jewish works, or Moslem works, or Buddhist works, or Hindu works. God couldn't make it any clearer. It's not by works! The computer my friend gave me could have only been mine if someone else paid for it. The heaven you want to go to when you die can only be yours if someone else pays the death penalty for your sin – and someone did! Jesus, God's only Son!
All I could do to get what my friend had purchased was to accept it. All you could do to have the eternal life Jesus purchased with His life is to accept it. So the eternity-deciding question is this, "Has there ever been a time when you have told Jesus, 'Lord, You are my only hope of having my sins forgiven...of going to heaven when I die. I'm turning from the running of my own life and I'm welcoming You into my life right now; the One who died for me, the One who walked out of His grave under His own power. I know, Jesus, you have the power to change me. I know you love me enough to have paid for my sin. I'm putting all my trust in you.'"
If your trust is in anything else – including your religion or your goodness – you'll never see heaven. Only Jesus can take you there. So tell Him right now. Put your total trust in Him. Tell Him you're doing that.
Our website is really designed to help you be sure you belong to Him. And I hope you'll go there. I invite you to go there as soon as you can today-ANewStory.com.
Look, you'll never be able to earn heaven. It's a gift – one that God's Son paid for with His life. But the gift won't be yours until you reach out and receive it.