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As a professional fisherman and
Super Pro Champion, it's been interesting to observe the
various strategies employed by contestants seeking to win
the big prize over the years. On one hand, who you know
can make a big difference, especially if that person
guides on the lake or is familiar with the best spots and
techniques. Of course, you have to place total trust in
that person and that's not easy to do with anyone
nowadays. On the other hand, relying totally on yourself
by working hard and studying the water before the event
but not consulting with anyone else, is a strategy some
anglers will use, but most often with limited or no
success. Others will rely totally on what they call luck
for their success (not a good idea) while still others
will drive their boats frantically from place to place in
a never-ending search for the right spot. At the end of
the tournament day, the weighmaster will tally the
weights of each contestant's fish. His decision is final.
There will only be one winner.
Our
life here on earth can be a lot like a fishing tournament.
In the Tournament of Life, people will seek many ways to
win the prize, which is Heaven. And just like in a
fishing tournament, most of these ways will fail. Some
will rely on luck ("if I'm lucky enough, God will
show mercy on me and let me in at the last minute.")
Still others will depend on themselves, hoping that
enough prayers, good works, going to church or their
religion will be enough. Finally, some will go on a never-ending search to find their own "spirituality". Yet
none of these techniques will win the Tournament of Life!
There is
only one way to win the Tournament of Life and that is
who you know. He is the ultimate Guide and can be totally
trusted. His name is Jesus Christ. In the Bible, Jesus
said: "I am the way, the truth and the life, no man
comes to the Father but by me." (John 14:6). Quite
simply, if you do not know Jesus, it is impossible to win
the Tournament of Life. Know Jesus? How can anyone really
know Jesus? It's quite simple, really. In fact, it's so
easy that many religions have found ways to make it
complicated through rituals and doctrines so that sinners
(you, me, everyone on earth) would have to rely on them
to help us get to Heaven. But Jesus said that being
religious isn't enough to get any of us into Heaven (John
3:3).
Fortunately
for all of us, God made it simple so that all can be
saved. Here's all you have to do: Call upon Jesus to
forgive your sins. Tell Him you will trust Him to run
your life. Ask Him to be your Friend. Acknowledge that he
died for you, personally. Ask Him to come into your heart
and into your life.
Wouldn't
it be great to know ahead of time that your were going to
win a tournament prize? Well, here's what God's Word, the
Bible, says about winning the Tournament of Life: "I
write these things to you who believe in the name of the
Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal
life." (1 John 5:13).
The other
great news is that unlike a fishing tournament, which has
only one winner, the Tournament of Life will have many
winners. In the Bible, God weighed a king and his kingdom
and found them wanting. As a result, they lost the
Tournament of Life. For all of us, the Tournament of Life
will someday come to an end. It could be today, tomorrow,
next week or next year. Only God knows for certain. But
on that day, we will be weighed in the balances by God
the weighmaster. If we are found wanting, the Bible says
we will be "cast into the Lake of Fire," losers
of the Tournament of Life for all eternity. However, the
good news is if we know His Son, Jesus Christ as our
personal Saviour, we will all be winners.
God
Himself has guaranteed it!
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