(FYI: I write these messages for entertainment purposes. I share these messages with the youth community at my church based upon information provided in the bible. My goal is to provide some insight and entertainment to those who wish to read it. I am fully aware that not everyone will agree with what I've written, and I accept that. But please, leave this for what it's offered to be and that's nothing more than a story for which I wrote for kids.)
Message Theme: How Does Your "Scale" Read?
A man appears before Gabriel just outside of the Pearly Gates just after his life on this side of the grave comes to an end. The man approaches Gabriel and the dialogue between the two of them goes as follows:
Gabriel: "Each of the good deeds that you performed on Earth is worth a specific value of points. You need 100 points to get into heaven. So lets begin."
Man: "Well, I was quite the saint on planet Earth, so this test should be a cake walk. Lets seeā¦.I was a loyal husband to my wife for 45 years."
Gabriel: "Very good. You now have 5 points."
Man: "Hmmm, let see. I organized a fundraiser event that benefited a charity for underprivileged children when I was 35 years old."
Gabriel: "A good deed that is. That's worth 2 points so your grand total is now 7 points."
Man: "I tithed 10% of my gross income at the church that I was a member of for 30 solid years."
Gabriel: "Another very good deed. That's worth an additional 2 points so your new grand total is now 9 points."
Man: (The man is now beginning to become a bit nervous as he thought his good deeds were more valuable than what the points that are being delegated to him are worth) "I raised two children under extreme supervision of the Lord's word."
Gabriel: "That is a very good deed and it's worth 1 point. Your new grand total is now 10 points. Please continue."
Man: (The man is now beginning to panic) "Oh man! There's no way that I can come up with enough good deeds that I've performed to accumulate 100 points! Only the Lord can save me now!"
Gabriel: "That's worth 100 points. Please enjoy your stay in Heaven."
How many of us think that our eternal lives will be dictated by our good deeds that we perform on this side of the grave? That used to be my thought process for me personally. I used to think that if the scale of my good deeds outweighed the scale of my bad deeds, then I was guaranteed an eternal life in heaven. But how do I define the standards of how my scale reads? You see, we as humans tend to grade our scales based upon people that are viewed as being worse offenders than we currently are. How many times have you ever said, "Well, I often do things that I'm not proud of, but at least I haven't killed someone!"? I've said that on several different occasions myself.
You know, doing good deeds are what we are called upon to do in our bodies on this side of the grave. And when we do good deeds, we tend to want to pound our chests and welcome recognition for those good deeds. But what about those times that we do NOT do the things that we are called upon to do? How about those times when we sin, knowing that we're acting in a way that nourishes our minds and bodies in a selfish way? You see, if God were to gauge us based upon a scale, then a snowball would have a better chance of survival in hell than we would in being granted access into heaven. Our deeds do not save us. Jesus saves us. And Jesus saves ALL! Not only does Jesus save us from our sin, though. Jesus saves us from something, FOR something. How many times have you gone through your belongings and you've come across something that you don't really need, but you still chose to save it? We keep this personal possession because we obviously have a purpose for keeping it. Just as Jesus has a purpose for saving you.
Grace and Peace,
Mavsluva