THE AFFLUENT POOR
- From :
"The Applause of Heaven"
by Max Lucado
You cannot save yourself.
Not through the right rituals.
Not through the right doctrine.
Not through the right devotion.
Not through the right goose bumps.

Jesus
is crystal clear.
It is impossible for human beings to save themselves.

Jesus
doesn't say improbable.

He
doesn't say unlikely.
He
doesn't even say it will be tough.

He
says it is impossible to save yourself.
No chance.
No way.
No loopholes.
No hope.
Impossible.
It's impossible to swim thePacific.
It's impossible to go to the moon
on the tail of a kite.
You can't climb Mount Everest with
a picnic basket
and a walking stick.
And unless somebody does something,
you don't have a
chance
of going to heaven.
Does that strike you as cold?
All your life you've been
rewarded
according to your performance.
You get grades
according to your study.
You get commendations
according to your success.
You get money
in response to your work.
That's why the rich young ruler
thought heaven was just a
payment away.
It only made sense.
You work hard,
you pay your dues,
and
"zap"
your account is credited
as paid in full.
Jesus says,
"No way."
What you want
costs
far more than
what
you can pay.
You don't need a system,
you need a Savior.
You don't need a resume,
you need a Redeemer.
For
"what is impossible with men is possible with God"
(Luke 18:27).
You see,
it wasn't the money
that hindered the rich man;
it was the
self-sufficiency.
It wasn't the
possessions;
it was the
pomp.
It wasn't the
big bucks;
it wasn't the
big head.
"How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"
(Mark 10:23).
It's not just the
rich
who have difficulty.
So do the educated,
the strong,
the good-looking,
thepopular,
the religious.
So do you
If you think your
piety or power
qualifies you as a kingdom candidate.
You don't
impress
the officials at NASA
with a paper airplane.
You don't
boast
about your
crayon sketches
in the presence of
Picasso.
You don't claim
equality with
Einstein
because you can write
"H2O."
And you don't
boast about your
goodness
in the
presence
of the
Perfect.
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