
For it is by grace you are saved through faith— and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works so that no one can boast . Ephesians 2:8-9
Traditionally, the expression “for heaven’s sake” has been used 1. to express frustration when someone is upset or fed up with a situation (for heaven’s sake, stop banging the table!) 2. to convey shock or disbelief, (for heaven’s sake, I didn’t expect to see them here!) 3. to empathize an urgent request (for heaven’s sake, open the door!). In today’s message, may we use this expression in a more rewarding and uplifting way. Here goes….
My wife and I were riding our bicycles in our neighborhood recently and we rode by my cousin, Jim, walking with his wife, Lynn. We stopped to say hello and our conversation turned serious very quickly. He said that he had a recent heart attack and declared dead, but was miraculously resuscitated back to life. Wow! My questions to him were immediate. I asked if he believed in Heaven. He said he did. I then asked him how he would get into Heaven. He said, “by being a good person.” My mind sunk, but my heart rallied because I knew God had orchestrated our meeting – Why? For Heaven’s Sake!! God had given Jim a second chance to live on earth, and here He was again – This time giving me the opportunity to share with my cousin His Truth about the only way to gain entry into Heaven.
We agreed that being a good person and good works have their place, but for Heaven’s sake, we can only enter in God’s way. The importance of recognizing Jesus and what he did to redeem us from our sinful nature became our conversation focus. I shared with him the good news and what the Bible said: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6) My cousin was open and receptive, and I believe in our heart of hearts it was all For Heaven’s Sake!
John 3:16; Eph 2:8-9; Romans 10:9; Matthew 7:21-27; John 3:3; Romans 6:23
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Follow-up comment rss or Leave a TrackbackCousin Steven Bouley. I read your message that you conveyed in The ministry in Christ.com. You didn’t miss a single thing. It was truly a pleasure to see you.Funny,as you passed on your bike I instantly said to Lynn “that looks like Steve” by the time I had turned around you had stopped and that’s when we started our conversation. As I said ,you didn’t miss a thing. I’m very familiar with the verse Jesus spoke. Other than being a good person, no one sees’ the father except through him. Excellent moment of togetherness.Thanks for the reminder. May the Lord continue to bless you and again thanks for the reminder.
Cousin Jim