One of the things we struggle with these days is our pride.
Now, pride isn’t necessarily a bad thing. We can have pride in knowing that we did something well, we saw a project to its end and we completed it. But then there is what I call the disappointing, sad side of pride. This is where pride shows up because we’re too stubborn or we’re too ticked off at someone to accept their help. We get so wrapped up in proving we’re right or that we’re better than the other person, that we miss the opportunity before us for something really good.
Years ago a boy, who lived on a farm noticed a poster at school that advertised that a circus was coming to a nearby town. He got all excited and when he got home he asked his father if he could go. The father saw his son’s excitement and said he could go if he got all his chores done by Saturday. And so, the boy worked hard all week. Saturday morning came and he went to his dad who was sitting at the breakfast table. The boy’s dad reached into his pocket and gave his son a dollar bill. Excitedly the boy ran off to see the circus.
When he got to the next town he noticed people crowded on either side of the street. He made his way to the front and saw a parade coming down the street. He was so excited as he saw the acrobats, the animals in the cages and the marching band. At the end of the parade came a clown with big floppy feet. The boy was so excited that he went over to the clown and put his dollar bill in the clown’s hand and then turned around and went home. When the boy got home his father asked what he saw. And so with excitement the boy described what he had seen. Hearing this his father said, “Son, you didn’t see the circus, you just saw the parade!”
There are many people today who see the excitement of what the world has to offer. They see the latest technology, the new clothes, movies, and cars and they conclude that this must be what life’s about. But when they have time to think about it or talk with someone else about it, they realized that what they experienced was not all that great after all. Sometimes we think if we just pay our money, we will soon discover our destiny all by ourselves and that we don’t need anyone else.
Sometimes, people think the same way about getting to know God. We think if we just do enough good things, if we don’t hurt anyone, if go to church on Christmas and Easter that then God must be happy and most certainly we’ll get to heaven when this life is over. And so, sometimes out of pride we say, “I don’t need to go to church, I'll get to God on my own” or “I don’t need to read the Bible or pray. I don’t believe that you have to do any of that stuff.”
Does that sound familiar? But what the Bible makes clear is that there is no way we can work our way, buy our way or earn our way into heaven. When it comes to salvation we cannot save ourselves. The government can’t save us. Our popularity can’t save us. Our level of success can’t save us either. If you didn't need a Savior, God wouldn't have sent one. We can’t pay our way to heaven, and so Jesus did it for us. He made a way by dying on the cross for our sin.
It’s a hard thing to admit that we need someone else’s help. But Jesus wants you to know Him. He wants to become the most important person in your life because not only does He want a personal relationship with you, but He also knows He’s the only way for you to get to heaven.
That is why God instituted His ‘Whosoever Policy.’ According to John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
God could have easily narrowed the scope of His offer, but He didn’t. He made it available to all of us. When we receive God's Son Jesus as our Savior, we will never lose our place on God’s ‘whosoever’ list. It's all waiting for you right now. Will you accept God’s ‘whosoever policy?’
Don't be like the boy who got so excited by what he saw at the parade that he missed the main event. Don’t be so excited by what the world offers. Don’t be so proud that you miss what only God can offer you. Today, take God up on His ‘whosoever policy.’ You'll be glad you did.
- This column was provided by Tri-Community Baptist Church
