Today I saw a bumper sticker that said, "Born OK the first time." and I wanted to have one of those big L.E.D. signs on my bumper to tell him how wrong he was.  I actually felt myself getting all worked up and I wondered if anyone else has had these thoughts?  How many times have you thought or maybe even said, "Wait til they get to heaven then they will find out they were wrong!"

I have been so convicted in those times because if my heart was in the right place I would be heartbroken for those that are truly lost.  This poor man on the road didn't deserve my internal road rage, what he needed was a prayer sent to heaven on his behalf because of the eternal state that he is in.

It is true that he was born OK the first time and I am sure that many people you know have that same feeling, however Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  OK is not going to get us into heaven and it has nothing to do with anything that we accomplish while we are here either.  It says in Ephesians 2:8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- not by works, so that no one can boast."

I would not want to serve a god that I was equal to or could somehow do anything to achieve entrance to heaven.  It is interesting to note that every “religion” has some sort of life after death or nirvana.  Some place that, through works, you can obtain this level of “heaven”. If you don't make it the first time you can "come back" and try again (works). It is wonderful to know that when Christ said He was the only way to the Father, that He was actually taking the weight of “works” off our shoulders.  Being “Born Again”, as the bumper sticker refers to as being born OK the first time, is about accepting that Jesus Christ paid that price once, for all.  We need to be Born Again, accept what Jesus did on our behalf, so that the sins that we are born into can be taken and nailed to the cross. What an awesome thing it is to know that I will one day stand before God and because of Jesus He will welcome me into His Kingdom for eternity.  It won’t be about a balance scale whether or not I have “done enough” or if I somehow was born OK the first time, second time or the fifth time.
 
I was in the doctor’s office today getting my eye pressure checked and while I was waiting I was looking at the amazing charts on the wall.  The detail of the human eye is absolute proof that a superior being (God) created everything.  How could a lens or the optic nerve evolve when it didn’t know why it was evolving or into what?  The human eye is so intricate and perfect that if one piece were missing the whole eye would not function.  This is called irreducible complexity if you care to look it up on your own.  It is absolutely fascinating how God designed such detail into His creation.  As Science “advances” they will only find more detail as God continues to reveal more and more.  DNA?  That is only a strand and when they dig deeper, DNA will have DNA and the complexities of the design will continue to shout the Glory of the Lord. 

Can you tell I am excited to be alive today?  You should be too!  I pray that wherever you are at this moment that you would sense God’s presence in your life and be aware of His infinite love for you.  Yes He loves you deeply; and no your circumstances are not an indicator of how He loves you, they are a result of a sin filled world.  You can know peace today that goes beyond comprehension.  You can know love today that is greater than anything you have experienced in the past.  Jesus gave His life willingly for you so that you might have a relationship with Him.  NOT religion, not works, but a true intimate relationship.

Do you know Him?  Not know of Him, but do you know Him?