(Pastor James Scarborough, Donalsonville Assembly of God)

As I visited in a home the other morning and sat in the front room, a red bird appeared just outside the glass door. Rather than just perching there and looking in, he started to violently crash into the glass—not just one time, but multiple times. I do not know what his objective was; perhaps he saw his own reflection and thought it was another bird encroaching on his territory, or maybe he saw me and wanted to attack me, or it could have been that he wanted to get inside (I do not blame him there—it was a beautiful and comfortable room!) Regardless of his reasons for ramming into the door, he made no obvious success in overcoming that big glass door.

Later on, I thought about what I had witnessed concerning that little bird, and it reminded me that many people for many centuries have approached their relationship with God in a similar manner. Rather than following the path that God has provided, multitudes have sought to gain access to God through their own efforts of attempting to become righteous by doing more good than evil or by trusting in their attachment to the church as a means of acceptance in the sight of God.

Certainly those who claim to be followers of God should strive to do as much good unto others as possible; they should turn away from evil, and they should be sincerely involved in a local church; the Bible speaks favorably of such things. Yet, if we are depending on those activities alone, we are banging our heads against a solid wall while never getting anywhere close to entrance into the other side.

As we go through Holy Week observance by recalling the suffering that Christ endured as He went to the cross to pay for our sins, and as we prepare to celebrate Easter as a reminder of His glorious resurrection from the dead, let us not forget that it was because of what He accomplished for us that we have hope of eternal life. And because of Christ’s death and resurrection, those who surrender their lives to His control can rest fully assured that He will keep His promises to us. Hebrews 10:23 instructs us with these words: “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He Who promised is faithful” (NIV).

In Ephesians 2, we are given a very clear reminder of both our own inability to earn favor with God and God’s favor that has been extended to us through Christ’s sacrifice: “For it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (verses 8-10).

Included in what God would want us to reflect on during this Easter season is the reminder that if we are trying to make it to Heaven by our own actions or through any path other than faith in Jesus Christ, we are simply flying against an insurmountable wall. Thankfully, if we will trust in what Christ did for us on the cross, we will receive God’s free gift of everlasting life.