The Gmbler
by Pastor Ricky Kurth
There
are so many ways to gamble these days! Casinos that used to be found
only in Las Vegas now seem to be everywhere. People gamble on sporting
events, at racetracks, and in state lotteries. Others risk their
hard-earned money in the stock market, which is always a gamble! But
even if you have never placed a bet, if you are not saved, you are gambling with eternity.
You might be thinking, “I don’t use that word saved,”
but I wonder if at some time in your life you’ve sung that most beloved
of all Christian hymns, “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved
a wretch like me.” You may have sung the song, but are you saved? We
call the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior; well, the purpose of a Savior is
to save people! Has He saved you?
The Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
(Acts 16:31). Now, if you are wondering what it is specifically that
you have to believe about Christ to be saved, the Apostle Paul told the
Corinthians,
“I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you…by which also ye are saved…how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day” (I Corinthians 15:1-4).
Here
the Bible clearly says that the way to be saved from your sins is to
believe that Christ died to pay for your sins. So the only question now
is, do you believe God when He says your sins are paid for? Do you trust Him when He says that? If you do, the Bible says that you are saved!
If
you are not sure what I’m trying to say, suppose for a moment that you
have a serious gambling problem, and that you have racked up a million dollars
in gambling debts. One day some very bad men threaten to kill you
unless you pay your debt. Naturally, you are very afraid, because you
don’t have the money. But just then a friend emails you to say, “I heard
about your problem, and I paid your debt.”
Now you have to ask yourself, “Do I really believe my friend when he says he paid my debt? Do I trust
him when he says my debt is paid?” If you don’t believe him, you’ll
have to keep trying to pay your debt on your own. But if you do trust your friend when he says he paid your debt, you’ll thank him for it, and simply rest in what he did for you.
That’s all God asks of you to be saved from your sins. Believe that Christ paid for your sins, and rest in what He did for you. If you’ll do that, the Bible says you are saved.
If you won’t, well, you’ll just have to go on trying to pay for your
sins in your own way, by being good, by not being bad, or by being
religious—something the Bible says you can never do:
“But to him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans 4:5).“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).“Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” (Titus 3:5).
If you are still
not sure what I am trying to say, I have a little exercise for you.
Later today, or perhaps tomorrow, you are going to do some good thing,
or avoid doing some sinful thing. At that moment, you will be tempted to
think, “I just helped pay my way to heaven.” When that happens, stop yourself,
and say, “No, the Bible says that the only way I can get to heaven is
by believing that Christ died for my sins.” Just keep that up, and
eventually you’ll learn to trust what Christ did on the cross of Calvary
to pay for your sins, and rest completely in what He did for you.
They say life is a gamble, and I suppose in many ways it is. But don’t gamble with eternal life. The stakes are much too high.
I promise you this: A thousand years from this moment, you will remember this moment. And whether you remember it with joy or eternal regret depends on the decision you must make right now to trust Christ as your Savior.
What
in the World (Click) Les
Feldick
Les Feldick Ministries
30706 W. Lona Valley Rd.
Kinta, OK 74552
Posted By Cecil and Connie Spivey
E-mail this BIBLE UDY to all your friends
No comments:
Post a Comment