You Can't Win if You Don't Play

The other day I went to go get gas. When I went to pay there was a line. The guy in front of me bought a lottery ticket. His girlfriend asked him why he bought the ticket and he replied that powerball was up to some ridiculously high number. He thanked the guy next to him for also buy a ticket, reminding him to get one as well.

"You can't win if you don't play!" He said and the two men shared a laugh.

When this happened I knew that God had a message, but I didn't know what it was until I was worshiping this morning.

I recalled a conversation that I had with a friend once. He thought it was ridiculous that one could live a terrible, non-Christian life of sin, and then in their last breath give their heart to Christ and receive eternal life.

As we worshiped this morning, my thoughts started to wander off and I started contemplating the ease of salvation. I imagined lips asking God to reveal Truth.

The simplicity of the phrase. It seemed almost too bold of God to promise us that if we really wanted to know Him and we really wanted to know the Truth, all we would have to do is ask Him in honesty. "Ask and you will receive," it says, "seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Surely there must be more to it than a heavy amount of curiosity and a few mumbled words!

Then I thought back to the lotto ticket. You can't win if you don't play. Perhaps this would be a better slogan for the Christian church?

People will give their money just for a mere chance of winning; the odds heavily against them. But here we see that God asks nothing of us, but to ask. What is money compared to eternal life? People would sacrifice far more for the former than what is needed for the latter.

If a friend told you that they went to the casino and played a slot machine and won without having to pay, would you go try it yourself? Even if you weren't positive it was true. Would what you lost in the efforts it took to do it, be worth what the actual prize was?

When considering your own soul and life, you could ask yourself the same question. Would the promises Jesus made (supplying everything we need, everything will work out for our good, giving us a gift and a passion, victory over death, and of course eternal life with him) worth the few moments and breath it would take to ask Him for it?

When I think of all that Jesus went through. The torture. The trials. All the men and women of the bible who lived lives of sin and mistakes so that we could learn from. It seems a travesty that there is only one single thing that must be done to receive it all.

So you may say that people in churches are brainwashed; that when we say we "feel the Holy Spirt" that it's something we've tricked ourselves into believing. Prove us wrong.

Tonight, right this very second, we can try it. There isn't much to it. But before you do, you must allow the bitterness and bias to fade for just a moment while you pray. Close the door to allow privacy and perhaps embarrassment. Get on your knees. Close your eyes. Before you speak, really allow yourself to believe for a moment that this may true, and say "Dear Lord. Right now I speak to you, not even knowing if your real. But God I pray that you will reveal yourself to me. I pray that the Holy Spirit will come now and reveal the truth to me. I pray that my eyes would be opened and my heart would be softened. Lord you said if I seek, then I will find, so I seek you now..."

If you wish to take it a step further, "Lord, if you are real, and what you promise is true, then I would like to give my life to you now. I ask Jesus to come into my heart right now and wash me clean. Forgive me of my sin and make my heart new. In the name of Jesus Christ, I ask these things. Amen."

When you pray, be very hopeful. And I know God will move in you. If you don't understand some of these things, feel free to say it in your own words or research what everything means. But most importantly: Be honest. Praying for you.