Are You High Enough?

No. 240 - Salvation-general
Pricing:    $1.00/doz    $6.00/100

Neighbors watched as Richard built his home
on a hill. Unlike the other homeowners, Richard
piled the dirt high. He invested time, sweat, and
lots of money to make his home safe from the
river.
In the spring, the river began to rise alarm-
ingly. All of Richard’s neighbors began to flee. Anxiously they packed their belongings. They
loaded up their vehicles and moved to a safer
location.
Richard, however, stayed behind. He was on
high ground and safe, he thought.
       The river continued to rise.
       The murky waters surged through Richard’s community and buried everything in its path. On the third day of the flood, it reached
       Richard’s home and by the next
afternoon, his home and all the contents were destroyed.
As his home went under, Richard, sitting in a
rescue boat, looked on in disbelief. “It was on a
hill,” he told a rescuer. “I guess it wasn’t high enough.”
Many people are like Richard when it comes
to their relationship with God. Some believe they
are safe from the judgment of God because they
have done their best. Like Richard building a hill
for his home, they spend time and effort building
a reputation of good deeds.
In time, they feel they are good enough and
out of danger. Their neighbors would probably
agree: “I’m sure she’ll go to heaven, she is such a good person.”
The Bible has some shocking things to say
about our good deeds. In Isaiah 64:6 they are
called “filthy rags” because even our
best deeds fall so short of God’s
standards. Who can meet such
high standards? In Romans
3:23, the Bible says that no
one can, “For all have sinned
and come short of the glory of
God.”
Instead of relying on your
good behavior, why not accept
the only means that will guarantee
safety and help you reach God? The
Bible says in John 14:6 that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to God
except through Him.
God provided a way of salvation for us because He loves us and wants us to be right
with Him. The Bible says in Ephesians 2:8,9
that it is by grace that we are saved, through
faith, not by our works. This grace is a gift
from God.
To accept Christ, and to get the safety you need, you must:
First, acknowledge your sins and ask God
to forgive you. Admit that you’ve fallen short
and that you are not high enough to reach Him
on your own.
Second, accept and believe that Christ
died for you and rose again to make you right
with God.
Third, invite Christ into your life and let
Him have His way with you. Find a Christ-
centered church where you can learn with others about the new life in Christ.
Do this now and you will be high enough!
-By Roscoe Barnes III
-Illustrated by Kelly Edwards

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