Heavenly Lottery?

 

Heavenly Lottery?

Mary Ann Wray

 

How many tickets do you need to buy and/ or scratch before you hit the lottery? I'm not promoting buying lottery tickets or condemning those who do. But to answer the question, mathematicians say the odds of winning the lottery is one in 300 million. What is more likely? Mathematicians also say you have a greater chance of being struck by lightning than winning any lottery game; not a very pleasant thought indeed.

 

When you ask most people if they are going to Heaven when they die, the typical answer, except for atheists, is "I hope so." God doesn’t want you to hope about it. He wants you to know for sure. Making Heaven or not doesn't depend on you hoping for it. It's based on a decision. 

 

God doesn't conduct a Heavenly lottery either as to who is going to make it to Heaven and who isn’t based on Him calling your number because of your good works or how much you gave to charity…

 

He wants you to know for sure whether or not you’re going to Heaven. Believe it or not, getting to Heaven is the easiest thing you could ever do. Why is that? Jesus paid the price for you. His shed blood became the sacrifice God required to pardon sins. Religion complicates the matter and treats going to Heaven as almost as difficult as winning the lottery. Man made religions primarily include a list of rules you have the follow; a number of good works to complete; a good track record of church attendance and giving etc. God the Father doesn't require that of us as the determining factor for eternal life. 

 

Listen to what Jesus told a religious man named Nicodemus who wanted to know how to make it into God's Heavenly Kingdom...

 

"Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that everyone who believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. And this is the verdict: The Light has come into the world, but men loved the darkness rather than the Light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come into the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. But whoever practices the truth comes into the Light, so that it may be seen clearly that what he has done has been accomplished in God.”John 3: 14-21

 

Here are a few other scriptures for those of you who are not sure of Heaven. If you will pray now to ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins and turn away from them and accept him as Lord and Savior you too can have the assurance of eternal life. It is a FREE gift of God. It is so much better than winning the Lottery! Your eternal soul is not something you want to gamble with. Trust Christ as your Savior and He will give you that blessed assurance!

 

I look forward to seeing you in Heaven my friend!

 

Ephesians 2: 8-9

“For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God; not as a result of [your] works [nor your attempts to keep the Law], so that no one will [be able to] boast or take credit in any way [for his salvation].”

 

Romans 10: 8-13

"But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”--that is, the word [the message, the basis] of faith which we preach-- because if you acknowledge and confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord [recognizing His power, authority, and majesty as God], and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous--being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation. For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM [whoever adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Him] WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED [in his expectations].” For there is no distinction between Jew and Gentile; for the same Lord is Lord over all [of us], and [He is] abounding in riches (blessings) for all who call on Him [in faith and prayer]. For “WHOEVER CALLS ON THE NAME OF THE LORD [in prayer] WILL BE SAVED.” 

 

John 1: 12-13

"But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name-- who were born, not of blood [natural conception], nor of the will of the flesh [physical impulse], nor of the will of man [that of a natural father], but of God [that is, a divine and supernatural birth--they are born of God--spiritually transformed, renewed, sanctified]."

 

1 John 5: 12-13

"He who has the Son [by accepting Him as Lord and Savior] has the life [that is eternal]; he who does not have the Son of God [by personal faith] does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God [which represents all that Jesus Christ is and does], so that you will know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that you [already] have eternal life."