Qualified

We'd all like to take part in the Olympics, but only the best do so.

Qualifying standards that have to be met are set for each competition. We all know what that means: thousands of hours in training, hundreds of competitions, endless effort - and don't forget the athlete's physical condition!

Even when all the circumstances are favourable, not every athlete can participate in the Games.

We've all heard of athletes who had to drop out for some reason, after four years of hard physical and psychological training: an unlucky injury, a life-shattering change, or just poor form. It's one of the happiest days in an athlete's life when they know they've qualified.

God has also set minimum requirements to qualify us for eternal life. Contrary to popular belief, you don't have to be good enough to "compete" in heaven!

If God had said that entering heaven depended on our good works, we'd have to be as perfect as he is, since not even the least sin can enter there.

God only asks us to believe in what he has done for us; thus, by faith, we will surely enter into eternal life.

God doesn't demand minimum scores: he doesn't discriminate on the basis of sex, race, social or psychological status, or political affiliation.

He accepts us as we are. You might say that his greatest desire is to see us all qualified for the greatest "Olympics" in history, where the prize is life itself.

God has made the way to heaven so simple that some find it impossible to accept. It's free, by faith in the work of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross.

Don't try to struggle on in your own strength, or to get in any other way. Don't try to bribe God. Admit that you can't do anything, and accept what he has done for you.

You can qualify today; just talk to him!