I believe the world would eventually grind to a halt without folks who have a strong work ethic. However, when it comes to our faith and salvation – working hard has nothing to do with it. For many people, that can be a little hard to understand.
It’s like the story of the minister who dreamed he died and went to heaven. St. Peter greeted him and told him he needed 100 points to get in. “Well, I was a minister for 47 years,” the minister announced. “That’s nice,” said Peter. “That gets you one point.” “Only one point – for 47 years?” “Yes, that’s correct,” replied Peter. “But I visited shut-ins every chance I got.” “One point,” added Peter. “I worked with the youth.” “One point.” “I developed a number of recovery programs.” “One more point. That makes four points. You need 96 more.” “Oh, no!” the minister cried in a panic. “I feel so helpless, so inadequate. Except for the grace of God, I don’t have a chance.” St. Peter smiled and said: “Grace of God is 96 points. Come on in.”
The Good News is that God’s grace covers it all! How will you respond to such a marvelous gift?