How do I know I'll end up in heaven?

Please bear with me as I begin with a short story.

A young man was contemplating what he wanted to do with his life.

He thought about a career path he'd like to pursue, what he'd like to accomplish, and what kind of person he'd like to be.

He believed becoming a doctor would eventually lead to "the good life" he yearned for.

 - It would allow him to become wealthy, respected, and admired in the eyes of his community.

 - It would allow him to help others - even the most needy - who would have no ability to repay him.

In short, it would give him the opportunity to experience the joy of leading a life well lived.

Of course, this would require him to attend many years of college, maintain a respectable GPA, and remain committed to his career path during some very difficult internships.

It would require him to let go of that which he considered less important to focus upon the more.

And then there was the expense...

 - Being of meager means, he saw no way he could afford the high cost of tuition.

 - There would be student loans he'd have to repay for many years, assuming he'd be approved for them in the first place.

 - There would be countless evenings and weekends of hard work and struggle in place of hanging out with his friends.

Feeling an overwhelming sense of discouragement, he decided it would be best to give up on this dream.

The more he considered the cost, the more impossible it seemed.

He believed it would be more practical to merely focus on his work as an employee at the local hardware store.

Maybe, he thought, if he worked hard and long enough, he could work his way up the company ladder and eventually carve out a decent living for himself.

One day, as he was making his rounds, a well-known physician approached him. 

This was no ordinary physician.

Those who knew him well considered him to be the best of the best. 

"I've heard around town that you've been considering going to medical school," the good doctor said quietly.

"Oh...yeah," the young man replied hesitantly, surprised that he'd spark up a conversation with him. 

"I was, but..."

"But what?"

"Well, it just doesn't seem very practical. I mean, to begin with, it would take years of college I can't afford and, to be honest, I don't even know if I'm smart enough."

"Nonsense!" the doctor blurted out.

"That's easy for you to say," the young man replied. "You've already done all of that."

The doctor stepped back for a moment, giving the young man's dilemma some thought.

"What if we tried this?" he said.

"I have every medical degree I've ever wanted. I have a very successful practice, and over the years, I've experienced more in the medical field than you can imagine."

"Yeah, so?" the young man replied, thinking the doctor was a little full of himself.

"What if you quit your job right now, and come with me to my office?" the doctor said with a smile.

"Why would I do that?"

"Simple," the doctor replied. "I'll have you sit in my office with me, and when patients come in, I'll tell them to direct all of their questions and concerns to you."

"That's insane!" the young man replied. "I don't know the first thing about medicine!"

"Don't worry. I'll be with you the whole time, and I'll tell you what to say."

As crazy as all of this seemed to be, the young man took him up on his offer. He immediately quit his job and began working for him the same day.

He didn't give much thought to what might be asked of him the next day, the next month, or the next year. 

He simply took one patient at a time, one day at a time, and kept his eyes on the doctor for guidance.

Over the years, the young man treated thousands of patients. 

 - He performed countless surgeries

 - He helped people he never knew, many of whom being unable to repay him

 - He became well respected in his community

 - He was eventually awarded many honorary degrees, including doctorates

 - He was able to afford a beautiful home and provide for his family

And all that was asked of him was to trust the doctor.

It made no difference where he had come from or how many mistakes he had made in life.

Faith was the only requirement.

This is exactly how salvation works.

The very moment we turn our eyes to Jesus, trusting him with all we are, we are immediately promised eternity with him. 

It doesn't matter where we came from.

It doesn't matter what we've done in the past.

It doesn't matter what talents or abilities we have.

No matter how hard we try, we can't earn our way there.

Evidence of this can be found in the story of the thief on the cross who turned to Jesus before he died.

After hearing the other criminal with them insult Jesus, he said:

"We are being punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong. 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Jesus answered him, "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." - Luke 23:41-43

This man wasn't asked to go back and correct all of the wrongs he had done. 

He wasn't asked to jump through any hoops.

There were no conditions.

He simply believed.

As was the case with the young man and the doctor, there would be no place for pride or arrogance.

There would only be thankfulness for all he'd been given, and what he had been given far exceeded anything he could've dreamed of.

Not to be misunderstood, I'm not talking about material wealth, fame, or notoriety. 

I'm talking about a life, and an eternity, that will be far greater than anything you could imagine.

Right where you sit at this very moment can be the place and time where all of this can be given to you. 

There doesn't need to be any bold pronouncements or steps that must be taken before accepting it. 

Just say this simple prayer:

Lord Jesus, I believe you are the son of God. I know I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. Thank you for dying in my place so I might be saved. I ask that you would forgive my sins and that you would guide and direct me. Please help me to follow you to the best of my ability for the rest of my days. 

If you just prayed that prayer, congratulations! You now have a seat reserved for you in heaven. 

How do I know this? From Jesus' own words:

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

 

Is Child Sacrifice Alive and Well?

We've heard horrific stories of ancient civilizations involved in child sacrifice.

So much so, in fact, we'd rather not think about them.

We can't help to wonder why any civilization, no matter how ancient or uneducated, would consider doing such things.

The reasoning behind such practices vary to some degree, but there seems to be an underlying theme.

At its core, those involved in such practices believed they'd benefit from doing so.

The Aztec people, for example, believed that doing so would bring favor upon them from their god, both individually and as a society.

Being pleased with their offerings, he would bring them health and wealth.

Looking back, most of us would agree that believing these things is not only shortsighted and ignorant, but would be considered evil.

Who believes sacrificing children would lead to positive results?

My friends, we're not far removed from these beliefs.

According to the W.H.O.,  there are approximately 73 million abortions worldwide every year.

73 million...annually.

While the reasons behind these abortions can vary, the overwhelming majority would fall under a "health and wealth" umbrella, as vague as that definition may be.

Sound familiar?

We've heard the arguments:

 - I can't afford to have a child right now

 - The financial burden of doing so would be overwhelming

 - Having a child would negatively impact my career

 - I don't want to experience the physical toll this would take on my body

 - I'm not ready for this emotionally

Of course, I'm not speaking about those cases where rape, incest, or a very real threat to the life of the expectant mother is involved.

But again, those cases are extremely rare in comparison to the reasons listed above.

For those who would argue it's not really a baby - its just a fetus - I would refer to what God, the giver of life, has to say about this.

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, where as yet there was none of them."

                                                                                      King David - Psalm 139:13-16

We have the choice to either believe these words.

We can chose to believe that, since King David lived from 1035 - 970 B.C., he clearly didn't have the scientific knowledge we now have.

But he sought whatever knowledge he had from the Creator of all things.

Not believing it to be true doesn't make it any less true.

In conclusion, I would like to make two important points.

 - The expectant fathers of these children are every bit as responsible for the child as the mother.

 - Those who firmly believe that abortion is wrong should do whatever they can to help those who might struggle with the expense and responsibilities of raising a child.

We don't live in a moral vacuum that allows us to suggest that others do what we believe to be right without coming alongside them with help and encouragement.

We are called to love others, not condemn them.

Is Jesus a liberal or a conservative?

The more we scroll through social media posts, the more we see it:

    People who claim Jesus must be in favor of one political bent or the other. 

Oh, they'll give ample reasons for why they believe so, and many of their conclusions may make sense on the surface.

It's only when we dig a little deeper that these arguments fall apart. 

They'll state emphatically that Jesus would never associate with people who do this or that.

They'll insist, since he would never be a part of such things, he must instead be in support their party of choice.

But here's the problem...

    Jesus doesn't have a political affiliation.

    Jesus is simply Jesus, and he stands far above any of that.

To catch a brief glimpse into the heart of his earthly ministry, we have to ask the following questions:

    Who did Jesus spend time with?

    Who did he reach out to?

He was regularly criticized by the leaders of the church due to the company he kept.

In Mark 2:15-22, we read:

While Jesus was having dinner at Levi’s house, many tax collectors and sinners were eating with him and his disciples, for there were many who followed him. 

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

In fact, he chose a diverse group of disciples, guilty of committing various sins. 

    Pick your sin.

    It doesn't matter which one. 

It can be the reason we believe someone else is unworthy of salvation. 

Here's the problem...

    We are all unworthy.

    Every last one of us.

From the guy in the back corner of the bar, to the well-dressed couple in the front row at church. 

    We are all saved by grace, and grace alone. 

A very wise man once said when we get to heaven, we'll probably be shocked at who we see there...

    And who we don't. 

We can feel justified in condemning an entire group of people simply due to their party affiliation - this is absolute arrogance. 

    Jesus never once played politics, and neither should we. 

    He came to save, not to condemn. 

    We should strive to have the same mindset.

Within any political party, no matter how liberal or conservative, we don't have to look very hard to find people guilty of horrible things. 

    But we're not called to point out the sins of others. 

    That's easy. 

We're called to recognize, confess, and repent for sins we find in ourselves.

    It doesn't matter which political party we choose.

We're all sinners who, given the right set of circumstances, are capable of committing terrible acts.

Am I suggesting we ignore the horrendous things we see going on within political parties?

    Not at all. 

We need to show wisdom when making these choices and cast our ballots based upon our personal convictions.

But it really comes down to this:

    Do we want to make this a better world?

    Of course we do.

The best way to begin, is for each of us to try to be better ourselves.

So, in answer to the question: "Is Jesus a liberal or a conservative?"

    The answer is no...