When we talk of faith, we never talk about the faith we had as kids, or
that some still have when they enter a contest, thinking they will win. How
many of us when younger sent in box tops, tore off coupons, or stayed up late
hoping the number on our receipt matched the number drawn. Some just knew they
would win, some knew they wouldn’t, but an ounce of faith was what drove us
all. Watch at ball games when your ticket number is called for a free soda at
half time, or you may get the bottle cap with the winning number underneath it.
Hoping but not knowing, that chance has little to do with our success or
failure. In life or in contests.
Years ago when working for Coca Cola, they sponsored a contest where each
pull tab may have a prize under it. From 10 cents to $100, many small winners
were awarded with a free can of Coke, while others hoped the odds would be with
them to win the big one. Which was fixed, sort to speak, as in one occasion I
was given the winning can, segregated when canned and given to the seller to see
that it does some good. We chose a store that had never been real good for us,
hoping it would boost business, and I placed it, so that at lunch time when the
high schoolers invaded, it would be bought and a winner announced. So much for
chance, or even faith, as it was a predetermined, planned event, but still left
up to the person to pull a tab and win. Which one shall we say lucky Coke
drinker did, and a winner announced. And you thought all contests were
legit....
But yet many spend money they don’t have to gamble, even if it is as simple
as buying a lottery ticket. I was never much good at gambling, so didn’t do it
much, but found it was important to read the small print. “*Must be present to
win,” is on many drawings at car shows and bikers events anymore. They want you
to stay until the end, hoping to still spend money to support the vendors,and
keep the crowd active. Too many times I did and was disappointed, not really, I
never expected to win, but in two cases, it was worthwhile. Calvary Chapel of
the Canyons used to hold a biker event each ear, read Harley, and I took my
Triumphs two years. And each year I won a trophy for Best European. Truth be
told the field was small, but I still hung around, and when I won bragged to my
Harley riding friends “you’re riding with a Trophy winner....” which after 10-15
minutes of reminders, got under their skin. So I can vow that it is a good
thing to hang around to the end, and that if you win, you must be present.
Some fatalists look at death as the end, but really it is a continuation,
with a new address for us. Trust in Jesus, you get heaven, deny him it is
hell. All are given the same chance, no special conditions, only be saved. Yet
despite salvation being a free gift from God you cannot earn, many denominations
and religions tell you how you must earn your way, with the person never knowing
if they did enough to make it. Until death. Some times we even read the Bible
like that, read the last chapter, and declare “I’m done,” but yet scripture
never shows us that there is an end, and even John brags on a library that
cannot hold all the books about the things Jesus did. Or is still doing in
lives today. We find that like the book of Acts, commonly called The Acts of
the Apostles, it is really the acts of Jesus Christ, manifest in the lives of
believers via his spirit. God never died, his spirit continues on long after
the cross, and we are the ones God has chosen to write the next chapters. We
may not be mentioned by name, only four apostles are named in Acts, but Jesus is
still alive and well. The gospel continues today, with one simple promise, to
gain heaven, Jesus must be present to win. We will last forever, and we get to
choose our final destination, but without Jesus, without his presence, we lose.
Not a trick, not a plant, but simple gospel truth. No Vegas odds, no lines to
wager, no lottery to hope you win, and no small class like my Triumphs where I
stood a better chance to win. You have been given the winning ticket with
Jesus’ name on it, what you do with it is up to you. And he must be present to
win!
So it takes faith to believe, just like as kids we had faith in our winning
ticket. But when we lost, we always had another contest to win, or another can
of Coke to open. The contest of life is different, when the gun sounds and the
life on earth is over, the final determination has been made, based on your
choice. God is still patient that none should perish, but still leaves the
choice up to you. You may never have won at anything in life, but you can in
Jesus. Where you can celebrate with other winners who chose like you, or spend
eternity in agony knowing how close you came, but never had the faith to trust
or believe. Dirty Harry put it this way, “well punk, do you feel lucky?” God
puts it this way, “I love you so much I sent my son to die.” In Christ you
already hold the winning ticket....
Of all the trophies I ever won, the only two I kept are the ones I won for
Best European Bike. All the other awards really mean nothing, so I threw them
all away. But these two remind me of a choice I made when I decided to not go
with the crowd and bought a Triumph. If you are what you ride, I may be one.
But really they remind me of how great it feels to win, to choose Jesus when all
others just go with the trend. Still concerned about heaven? Jesus must be
present to win....which helps me enjoy life even more knowing where I will spend
eternity, but also that he is with me today. You are not the last chapter of
the Bible, but part of the promise of Jesus. Acts to be enacted by you, via his
spirit. My name may not be mentioned in scripture, but it is in the book of
life. Where I will be present because I won here on earth. Hope to see you
there....
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com