Proverbs 14:12 (NIV)
There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Back in
the late 1940’s and early 1950’s there was a comedy quiz show, hosted by
Groucho Marx, called “You Bet Your Life.” Contestants were asked a series of questions
interspersed with comic interactions with Groucho. The show was rebooted by Jay
Leno in 2021. The show was just for fun, but the idea of betting your life is
not.
It is
hard to watch TV now without being bombarded with ads for on-line betting. Each
ad promises big wins to those who sign up. They even offer you free bets, after
you have invested a certain amount of money. What they don’t tell you is that
most of the people who bet are going to lose. That’s the way it works.
Interestingly, there have been more ads that are cautioning people about the
danger of on-line betting. One of them shows a cartoon of a man betting
on-line, and it asks the questions, what can you lose? As the man continues to
bet, things begin disappearing from the scene until he has lost everything.
There
are thousands of people who will never sign up for on-line betting yet are
betting their lives every day. They are betting that they can live however they
want with no consequences. Satan has sold people a bill of goods that promises
them amazing wins, but he hides the reality behind his promises. Satan has
convinced many people that they don’t have to live by God’s standards, so they bet
on the lie that they will never be held accountable for the way they live their
lives. It is a bet that they will ultimately lose. It is also a bet that many
lose on a regular basis.
Because
of living as if there are no consequences, people lose their health, their
jobs, their families, their self-respect, and their reputation. For many, these
experiences break them and they seek to change the way they are living. For
many others, these experiences only harden them and they double down on doing
their own thing. The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, but the
gift of God is eternal life. There is no way that we can avoid the consequences
of our sinful actions unless we repent and turn our lives over to God. Living a
self-centered life comes at a cost. Living a life without God comes at a cost.
No matter what a person’s life looks like in the present, there will come a day
when the bill must be paid.
2 Corinthians 5:10
(NIV)
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may
receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or
bad.
In one
way or another, we are all betting our life on something. Some are betting on
there being no God and no consequences. Some are betting on doing enough good
that God will accept them. Some are betting on the saving work of Jesus Christ.
We must all decide upon what we are willing to bet our life.
The
philosopher Pascal summarized the wager we all make in the following way.
If we wager that God exists and God does exist, then we
will receive infinite happiness.
If we wager that God exists and He does not exist, then
we lose out on some finite happiness.
If we wager that God does not exist and He does not, then
we gain some finite happiness.
If we wager that God does not exist and He does exist,
then we lose all happiness for eternity.
There
are many who have objected to this simplified approach, but the basic idea
still stands. What will you bet your life on? Jesus put it another, more profound
way.
Matthew 16:24-26
(NIV)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he
must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. What
good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?
Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?
I’m
betting my life on what Jesus said and promised. How about you?
Proverbs 12:15 (NIV)
The way of a fool seems right to him, but a wise man listens to advice.
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