I Have Insurance

 This morning I woke up to snow. It wasn't a lot, just enough that made me think that I should leave a little early for work.

 I love the snow, it makes everything clean and new; things seem to be extra quiet and life slows down a little.

 One thing I'm not, is afraid to drive in the snow. I did it for many years in a tractor-trailer while driving for FedEx Freight. You don't have to freak out about it, there are just some slight changes that you have to make in your driving to get to where you're going safely. Leave extra stopping distance, drive at a slightly slower speed, ease into the turns; you know use some common sense.

 As I got on the road I seemed to be the only one that was changing my driving habits at all, and it got me thinking of how we view our salvation and others view religion. The way I see it is we can look at it one of three ways. * Attention * there is only one correct answer.

1.       You can drive through your Christian life saying " I have insurance (salvation) Now I can do what I want and still go to heaven."  This is how most people were driving this morning, thinking only about getting themselves to where they were going, without regard for the others around them.

2.       You can hit the road without insurance and think that if you just drive carefully enough (good works)  you'll get to heaven. This is a ridiculous view. Driving without insurance carries with it a hefty penalty. That penalty in your  life is death.

3.       Or you can have you insurance (salvation) and drive with consideration to those around you, so you all get to where you are headed safely (good works).

James 2: 14-18 says What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good  is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

 There isn't a religion in the world that doesn't agree that there is something wrong with us, but what differs is their opinion on how to fix it. This is where the world views religion and sees us as hypocrites. Worldly religions will tell you that it is through your good deeds that you receive your salvation, but just try and measure up to perfect and you are bound to fail. By heaping up your good deeds, YOU DO NOTHING, to secure your place in heaven. Good deeds to receive salvation is just an extension of your selfishness.

But here is what God says about us...you can do nothing to fix yourself.

Here is the good news though, the main point of the Gospel, and if you read nothing else READ THIS... God sent His Son to die in your place. Jesus being fully God , and fully man, means he lived the perfect life that we can't. He then died in our place as a perfect sacrifice and that means the salvation is permanent. He then rose from the grave, conquering death to give us new life, and when He rose from death that means the payment was accepted.

Jesus bought and paid for our insurance with His blood. It is through that, that our good works flow. Not to receive salvation but because we have salvation.

So drive knowing you have insurance, look for the opportunities to tell others that their bill can be paid for them. Love the people around you with the love of Christ and let you good works flow from that. "Rest and go in peace."

Jason