Short Stories

Do you get to heaven by raffle?

Raffles where I live are a common fundraising tool. People donate items and then buy tickets for chances to win items.

I was thinking about heaven and how God makes it possible for us to join him in heaven after we die. Sometimes people teach wrongly that you get to heaven somewhat by raffle. That you make some good choices and its like buying a ticket. If you make lots of good choices then you have lots of tickets and then a better chance to get to heaven. Some take it even farther saying that in the end every number will be called and everyone gets to heaven eventually but some have to wait longer.

The problem is only one number will be called. Only one ticket has ever been purchased. The cost for a ticket is so high that only one man has ever had enough. The cost is perfection, sinlessness, and only Jesus has ever achieved that. Only his number will be called. Thankfully he is generous and has offered that anyone who calls on him can be saved. It is not by any works that we do but only by the generosity and kindness of Jesus that we can get to heaven.

and there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

Acts 4:12

Refuge in the willows

Psalm 91:2

I will say to the Lord, “my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 16:1

Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge.

Just a quick search of the word “refuge” brings many results in the Bible. It is clear that God is a refuge available for us. A safe place to run to in times of trouble.

Recently I was talking with a friend and we were both commenting about how much snow we had received. All the trees and willows were bent over and trails had become impossible without and axe, chainsaw, or machete. He commented to me “you know the safest critter right now is the rabbit.” Indeed, with all the snow the wolves, foxes, and people are not able to get anywhere near the rabbit.

Sometimes I complain about the heavy loads I feel. Maybe its a load of stress, maybe its weather that is not convenient, maybe its circumstances that I do not prefer. But my friend got me thinking. “I wonder if the rabbit complains about so much snow.” Once he realizes the safety it provides for him I doubt he complains.

I wonder how much God uses circumstances, stress, and even weather as a tool for his protection for us. I am convinced that God loves us and cares for us. We tend to not see the big picture very well. So our task is to trust God that whetever he is doing, even when I do not prefer it, I can trust that it is for good.

After all God is good. He can be trusted and that is why the wise will always run to him for refuge.

If basketball were life

If life were basketball winning the game would be like winning a place in heaven. The problem is because of the sin in our lives we would be starting the game already having fouled out of it.

The bible says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and that the wages of that sin is death. Our sin separates us from God so that we cannot even step foot on the court. We have no chance of winning heaven because we are disqualified. Yet, by Gods kindness Jesus competed without us and defeated sin and death and then offers to share his reward with anyone who will accept his free gift. We are not eligible to compete and yet God has made a way to let us receive his reward.

His love and grace given to us is indeed amazing!

Pay to Win

Recently I was talking with my sons about video games. They were telling me all about a new game they were enjoying and how cool it was. Then their shoulders dropped a bit and said, “But you have to pay 10 dollars to move on to the next level”.

I told them, You know I remember when I was little you would buy a video game and it would never ask you for money again. You could just play the whole game. Then I remembered how you could get “trial version” discs and how those were basically the same idea.

Suddenly my brain switched gears. Do we do that in churches? Do we give people a sample of Christianity and then keep asking them for money, or time, or stuff? I began to be offended at the thought that churches had perhaps bought into the same marketing schemes that I dislike. They are effective but feel deceptive too.

Thinking further on this thought I realized. I don’t have a problem with a game that tells me ahead of time that it is a trial version or that it is just the first level and that you will have to pay to do more. Its the surprise and feeling of manipulation I don’t like.

I believe Jesus agrees. When he spoke to the crowds he talked about some pretty harsh realities. Things like loving your enemies, and giving to the poor were not exactly attractive. Yet he also showed tremendous kindness and compassion that was very attractive. He healed people, he gave them food, He forgave sins. Understandably the crowds swelled at times. Yet Jesus also told people honestly that anyone who wants to follow him must deny himself, take up his cross and follow him.

Following Jesus costs us everything. We often say that forgiveness is a free gift. It is in the sense that Jesus did everything for us to make it possible to be forgiven. We do not bring any righteousness or goodness to make his job easier. All we bring to the deal is the debt of sin that needs paid. When he paid it we didn’t help. Yet, in accepting his gift we also are forever changed and our response should be to give everything to him.

So being a Christian is a pay to win situation. Jesus paid it all so that we could win at life. Yet Jesus also honestly tells us that if we follow him that it will cost us everything but he promises that it is worth it.

Overcome evil with good

Dogs in the village sometimes get a bad reputation. Maybe they chase cars, bite, bark, or get into trash. A dog can quickly earn a reputation of being a nuisance.

There seems to be two ways people deal with them. Most people try to scare them off. Yelling, A pellet gun, or a boot are all seen as tools to get rid of the nuisance. Unfortunately this often trains the dog to be more daring and even more of a nuisance. Especially if the dog is motivated by wanting attention.

But there is another way. Talking kindly to the dog, petting him, building trust and affection. In my experience with one such dog he has changed his behavior towards me. He still barks but never is aggressive and often finds me and leans on my leg for some petting.

Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 12:21

People are not all that different. People acting out are often calling out for attention in a backwards nuisance sort of way. Rather than responding with harshness or anger, a response of love, patience, kindness, and goodness is far more powerful in affirming peoples value and building trust.

The bible tells us that the far better way is to overcome evil with good and to let God be the one that hands out any needed punishment.

Hearing correction

One of the things I do to serve the region we live in is installing satellite internet. By far the longest and most tedious task is pointing the dish correctly to establish a connection between the modem and the satellite in space.

One winter day I was sitting on a roof trying to find signal. I was in a new location where it was uncertain if it was even possible to get signal. For two hours I stubbornly searched to find signal but was not finding success. I could hear the device beep each time it saw something metal in the sky but it was not locking on to the correct satellite. An older man was walking by who also had installed many satellite dishes and was very familiar with the task of pointing a dish. He called out to me and said, “Hey, I think you need to go a little to the left.”

Now, I had been up there 2 hours and had probably covered every possible direction so my first reaction in my heart to his suggestion was defensive. In milliseconds I had begun preparing my complaint that I had already tried that, that I had been up here 2 hours and he only just arrived, there is no way he could tell that from way down there on the ground… The list began to grow in my mind. For me the plug that kept my mouth closed was his age. I am convinced that older men should be respected. Even if he was wrong I should move the dish to the left out of respect for him. So, I moved it slowly to the left fully expecting to be wasting my time. The chime of the “locked on” signal bounced to my ears and displaced a bit of pride.

He was right, and instantly I saw the parallel. How often we need people who come along in our lives. They see us struggling and wondering what to do and they boldly advise us. We can be defensive and irritated but if we will swallow our pride and respect the older people in our lives we may be surprised to find our lives suddenly working much better.

An older man can give me good advice in many areas of life. By far the best thing he can do is help me stay focused on Jesus. If my life is beginning to drift to the right or left of Christ I would hope that others in my life would point me back to keeping following Jesus as my focus and aim. Hopefully I would avoid being defensive and allow the correction to help me stay focused on Jesus.