Resources/Articles
A Gamble Or A Sure Thing?
You have probably been on a “mailing list” and have received mail that said something like, “You MAY have already won a trip to the Bahamas” or “You MAY have already won a Jeep Grand Cherokee!” As you read the “fine print”, you notice your chance of winning is one in four million. We have received similar “prize” announcements that involved scratching off a square of silvery coating or matching together pieces of a puzzle. The chances of finding my sixth cousin twice removed were greater than winning those prizes. Is it not odd people will labor long and hard to try and win something with four million-to-one odds, but we cannot get them to pay attention to a sure thing?
There is a sure thing in God. Joshua understood nothing had failed that God had promised (Joshua 23:14). Paul declared in 1 Corinthians 1:9, “God is faithful.” He does not succumb to pressure from the world (James 1:13). “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth do shake” (Psalm 46:1,2). There is not a surer thing than in God who “is not slack concerning his promises as some men count slackness” (2 Peter 3:9).
There is a sure thing in Jesus. What are the odds of finding another Savior like Jesus? Can we find a successful way or accomplish some wonderful act that will abolish sin and bring us to God? Romans 5:6-8 says the only person willing to die to redeem man was the perfect Christ. He came as the righteous for the unrighteous. He is the only sacrifice for sin we will ever have (Hebrews 10:26), and the only one we will ever need.
There is a sure thing in salvation. Peter and the other apostles cried out to those on Pentecost (Acts 2:40) to save themselves from this crooked generation. Three thousand souls found that day a sure thing in salvation. Sins were washed away by the blood of Jesus. Mercy was extended because of one’s obedience by faith. What a great sense of peace that brings to the doubting, the uncertain, and the hopeless.
There is a sure thing in the Bible. Finding truthful words you can stick with that give wisdom and understanding are not books of men or speeches of high-ranking officials. They are found in the book of books (Ephesians 5:15-17). It pierces the present with principles of living. It reaches into the future with hope. It brings morality to a godless society. What it promises you can take to heaven (1 Peter 1:13-25; 1 John 2:16,17)!
