How do you feel?
People are always asking how you feel. Do they really care? Some folks do, and others just say it out of habit.
Have you seen the story with a young boy pulling down the basketball goal so that his special needs sister can throw or push the basketball into the hoop? It makes everybody feel happy.
The truth is that she did not really score a basket. But she did feel better.
Ask somebody about going to heaven. They all want to go. But they have different feelings about it. One person said, they think people are basically good, so God will let them go to heaven. He is so loving that He would not keep anybody out of heaven.
That belief makes them feel better, but it does not change how God decides on who is going to heaven.
The facts deal with sin. So people try to change the definition of sin so that they feel better. But God did not change the definition of sin. God does not say little sins, and big sins. He says sin is choosing to do wrong.
The Bible says that all have sinned. All means everybody. Hard to change that definition.
Since everybody has sinned, God had to make another way to get to heaven, because nobody could be good enough.
God showed his love for people, when Jesus came and died on the cross for the sins of the world. He made it a free gift for anybody that chooses to accept it.
Some folks find it hard to accept a free gift. They still think they should work for it. You could say it makes them feel better.
But those feelings are wrong. Those feelings tell you that God needs your help. Sounds a little silly when you say it that way.
When you get a gift, you feel happy. When you accept God’s gift, you will also be happy, and have the feelings that are true and lasting. Those are the feelings that are correct and real.