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Two Lives!
Pastor Jim Kilby • April 21, 2023
Imagine two lives for a moment. At the end of each life, which do you believe would be accepted into God's heavenly presence?
Life #1. Betty has been in church every Sunday since she was a little girl. She tries her best to treat other people well, and she goes out of her way to help those in need. Betty is a sweet woman and is revered by her pastor. No doubt when Betty passes away, she'll have a church pew engraved in her honor. Betty isn't absolutely sure she's going to heaven when she dies, but she figures if she can't get there just treating other people well, then nobody will get there.
Life #2. Sam hates church! Sam has been a thief and a liar since he spoke his first words. He's done everything he can to "get over" on others. After all, those who "have" deserve to give to those who "have not!" Since Sam "has not," he just helps himself! Sam is also a drunk, and spends every cent he has on booze. One evening, in a drunken stupor, Sam fell and cut his wrist severely on a beer bottle. In the hospital, someone handed Sam a small but powerful pamphlet... as Sam read how Christ had died for his sins, he wept silently and asked God for forgiveness.
Confused? Let's ask Jesus to answer this one Himself...
"Jesus said to them [the chief priests and other religious people], "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John [the Baptist] came to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." Matthew 21:31b-32
I find it quite interesting that this account was penned by Matthew. Matthew was a disciple of Christ, but when we initially find him in the Bible, he was the worst sort of thief and sinner found in the Biblical text--he was a tax collector!
Pastor Jim Kilby
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Harvest Youth Ministries (HYM) is an outreach aimed at young people; not a youth group. HYM is an IRS approved 501(c)(3) not-for-profit ministry. All donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.
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