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You can't earn your way to heaven

No amount of going to church, reading your Bible, doing good turns for your neighbour will ever get you into heaven.  We can't even live up to our own standards let alone God's. If you are going to get to heaven by earning your way, God says His standards are perfect and you have to be perfect.  Not your standards apply, but His.  So you say, "But that is terrible. How can anyone get into heaven?" "There is a way for man to rise to that sublime abode, an offering and a sacrifice, a Holy Spirit's energies, an advocate with God." As the hymn puts it and that advocate or go between is Jesus.  His death on the cross enables us to be accepted by God if we put our trust in Jesus.  That means that instead of proudly thinking we can be accepted on our own (stinking ) merits we realize that only Jesus in His perfection can save us from eternal loss. As it says in Isaiah 64:6 But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. That is why I called our merits "stinking." The words translated "filthy rags" in the original mean "menstruous cloths." Now menstruation is part of the wonder of being a woman and being able to bear children, but look at it this way.  Supposing a woman has put some used sanitary towels in the dustbin (trash) and she has not done it very securely.  Imagine the disgust the dustman would feel if they all rolled out at his feet and he had to put them back and in the dust cart, hopefully with gloves on.  That is just a small picture of the disgust God feels with us if we are trusting in our righteousness. Fancy clinging on to that when He has provided the perfect way for us to be accepted, Jesus His beloved son.  Turn away from what you cannot do for yourself and turn to Jesus who can do everything for you. As Jim Elliot said, "
He Is No Fool Who Gives What He Cannot Keep,
To Gain That Which He Cannot Lose!"
Give up your efforts which you cannot keep and will all be lost one day and turn to Jesus who if you do trust Him,you cannot lose.

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