Weekly Devotional 10-02-23 The Only Qualification
A man dies and meets St. Peter at the Pearly Gates. Peter says to the man, “Here’s how it works. You need to have one hundred points to get into heaven. You tell me about all the good things you have done. They are all worth a certain number of points. If your total is one hundred or more, you can come in.” “Well,” says the man. “I was happily married to the same woman for 52 years. I never looked at another woman. I was attentive and loved her dearly.” “That’s great,” says St. Peter. “That’ll be two points.” “Hmmm,” says the man. “This is going to be harder than I thought. Well, I attended church regularly, volunteered my time and tithed faithfully.” “Wonderful,” says St. Peter, “That’s worth another point.” “One point!” says the man. “Okay, okay. I was involved with a prison ministry for twenty-five years. I went into the prison, at least monthly, and shared Jesus with them.” “Wow!” says St. Peter. “That’s another two points!” “Only two points!” says the man. “At this rate, it’ll be only by the grace of God that’ll I’ll ever get into this place.” “Bingo!” says St. Peter. “That’s one hundred points! Come on in.”
The author of the above is unknown, it was passed along to us by Andrea Clark, a dear sister in the Lord. It does however remind us of Paul’s letter to the Ephesians in which he wrote:
“ 1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:1-10)
Like the opening ode posted by our sister, and the above passage, there is nothing that will qualify anyone for an entrance into heaven, of being in the presence of God. It is only by God’s mercy and grace that entrance is granted. Consider…..
Romans 3:10: “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no not One.’”
Romans 3:23: “For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.”
Romans 6:23: “For the wages of Sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.”
John 3:16-18: “16 For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. 18 He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Please make verses 16-18 personal and put your own name in the underlined spaces.
“16For God so loved ______________ that he gave His only begotten Son, that if ______________ believes in Him he(she) should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn ________________, but that through Him __________________ might be saved. 18 If ______________ believes in Him he(she) is not condemned; if _____________ does not believe ______________is condemned already, because ________________ has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
A wonderful gift of God for sure.
stevelampman.com
Transforming Power, the work of God on Behalf of Man