For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.
—Ephesians 2:8–9

A few years ago a poll conducted by a popular news magazine found that most Americans were sure they were going to heaven, but most didn’t expect to see their friends there. A majority of those polled were sure that Mother Theresa would make the cut, and a number also quoted certain celebrities and politicians who they thought would qualify.

Sadly, this shows the confusion and the flawed reasoning that go into the most important decision we'll ever make in life: the decision regarding where we will spend eternity.

Though this may come as a surprise to many people, Mother Theresa, as wonderful of a humanitarian as she was, didn't have any better odds of making it into heaven than anyone else. Why? Because our entrance into heaven isn't on the basis of what we've done for God; it's on the basis of what God has done for us. That is what it comes down to.

The lowest of the low, if they repent and ask God to forgive them, in spite of what they've done, will get into heaven. And the best of the best, in spite of all of the good they have done, will not necessarily get in if they have not put their faith in Christ as their Savior. It doesn’t matter what we have done, as commendable as it may be. Our entrance into heaven has nothing to do with good deeds or bad deeds. But it has everything to do with what Jesus did on the cross and our recognition that we cannot meet God on our own merit.

Praying that we all figure it out,
Pastor Mike