The Family Good News Letter
27th Year April , 2011
Dear Friends and Family,
Let’s suppose that you have committed a crime and its penalty is death. Your trial has been held; the jury has come back and is ready to give its verdict. The evidence against you is so overwhelming that you are not surprised but yet still stunned when the foreman of the jury pronounces you guilty as charged. (Too bad you didn’t have Johnnie Cochran in your corner and a bloody glove to try on.) You then go before the judge and he sentences you to death in the electric chair. You begin to weep uncontrollably as you contemplate your fate. Suddenly you hear a voice behind you which you recognize. It is a close friend of yours who had faithfully sat through the entire trial with you. He approaches the bench and declares that he is your best friend and he now volunteers to go to the electric chair in your place. Everyone in the courtroom is astonished by that incredible offer. However, the judge accepts this most unusual gesture and your friend takes your place in the death chamber. You go scott free!!!
Does this little scenario sound ridiculous? Who in his or her right mind would sacrifice his own life for a crime he didn’t commit? I agree!!! The likelihood of any of us doing such a thing is farfetched. . . nevertheless, it did happen some 2000 years ago. The fact of the matter is that we all are born in sin which makes us sinners from the get-go. (Romans 3:23); and there is a penalty for that sin: “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) Now we’re not talking about natural death, that’s a forgone conclusion for every individual.
This demise denotes a spiritual death that separates the individual from God eternally. This sentence hangs over the head of every single human being unless she or he is able to get Someone to take the burden from them. Jesus, Who knew no sin, died on Calvary as a substitute for all mankind; three days later He triumphantly rose again. This substitutional death is a free gift; but just like any gift, it doesn’t belong to you unless you receive it. Let me illustrate: Suppose your best friend decides to send you a birthday present by UPS. Each time the deliveryman comes to your door and attempts to deliver your gift, you look through the peep hole and decide not to open the door for some reason. The gift is yours, but since you will not receive it, you have no access to it. In a like manner, Jesus knocks on the door of our hearts with something that is, in reality, a birthday gift. Salvation gives you a new life in Christ; you are spiritually born-again. That releases you from the death sentence and entitles you to eternal life. (John 3:16) You’ve made Jesus your Lord and Savior.
So that there will be absolutely no confusion as to what that means, it might be a good idea to do a little elaborating on this Lord and Savior aspect. Many, many years ago Frank Sinatra sang a little ditty called “Love and Marriage”. Part of the lyrics declare that “Love and marriage go together like a horse and carriage, you can’t have one without the other.“ In the same sense, when we ask Jesus to come into our hearts, He has to be both our Savior and Lord. . . . .we can’t have one without the other!!! Our Savior wants to live His life through us; that means there must be a change in our lifestyle to conform to His principles.
For those of you who have already received the free gift of salvation, this letter is merely for your edification and the strengthening of your faith. On the other hand, if you have resisted this divine offer, I would like to pose this question to you: CAN YOU AFFORD TO TAKE A CHANCE? We often make statements about vacation spots to the effect that “It’s a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.” Well I would like to amend that old bromide and say that “Hell is not a nice place to visit and you most definitely would not like to reside there!!! The choice is yours. . . .
Have a Blessing and be a Blessing,
Gene
WISDOM OF GOD! 