Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Speeding Tickets and Eternal Life

I knew a man who travelled a lot for his company, and he told me this story. 
He was having a terrible day, actually a terrible week.  He looked up in his rear-view mirror to see a police officer with his light flashing right behind him.  He was stopped for speeding, and got a severe penalty.  The officer fined him $445 and took six points from his license.  In hopes of having the penalty reduced, the man decided to appear on the appointed court date and make his plea with the judge.  He couldn’t afford to lose the $445 or the six points.
            When the day arrived, he went to the courthouse and was greeted in the lobby by the same officer who had fined him.  The officer told him this judge would not reduce the fine and would only reduce the points by two.  Obviously, the judge had a reputation for enforcing the letter of the law.  But he asked the man to allow him to go before the judge in his stead and plead his case.       
The man had a choice to make, and decided to let the officer be the mediator in his case.  When it was over, there were no points taken and the fine was reduced to $185.  The one who had upheld the law and charged him for breaking it was the same one who made a way for his release from the stiff penalty.
After he told me his story, I realized how perfectly it illustrated what the Father sent Jesus to do for us – except the stakes are much higher with our eternal destination in the balances.
One day we will all stand before the Judge of all the earth.  There is a strict penalty for sin, and we are all guilty, because we are born with a sin nature.  So, there is nothing we can do to change the death sentence that hangs over us.  But Jesus says, “Let me intercede to the Judge on your behalf.” 
We all have a choice to make.  We can choose to appear before the Judge of all the earth on our own merit, but the death penalty will not be removed.  Or we can allow Jesus to be the go-between, our mediator.  The Judge will hear Him when He intercedes for us.
We make that choice when we commit our lives to Jesus and receive forgiveness of sins through His blood that was shed on the cross for us.  Unlike the police officer, Jesus took the punishment for our sins in our stead so we can go free…not even a $185 fine! 
 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” 
Have you made the right choice?