"The Gambler
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.
"
(R Kurth)
'link'
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Grace, Peace, And JOY!
