How can I be sure that I’ll make it to Heaven?

 "For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from the beginning of time - to show us His grace through Christ Jesus"

(2 Timothy 1:9). NLT

The subject of grace has fascinated me from the moment I first understood it. If you don't know my story - it took me quite some time to get a grasp on grace. How could it be? It seemed too good to be true. Grace was free? All the bad things I had done, erased? All my flaws and weaknesses overlooked? Once I understood grace, it changed everything! And today, I'm still in awe of what has happened to my heart. But as I'm reminded of the hesitations I faced early on, my heart aches as I consider the distortions human beings can often make of the gospel message. Growing up, I fell victim to a false belief system, and unfortunately, I am just one of many who have believed the lies along the way.

Some will say that being a Christian means we must live by a set of rules and that salvation is based on good works or living a "sinless" life. These people often speak more of God's wrath than of His love and often incite shame on those who don't meet religious expectations. 

Others will claim that we don't have to follow God's rules because God is love, and He just wants us to be happy. These people will claim that being a good person is our ticket to Heaven and will often misconstrue God's loving grace as an endless excuse to live sinfully.

While both ideologies seem to be opposites, they are both based on the same faulty system; formed from ignorant interpretations of God's word and based on checking boxes of self-reliance. 

There is religion and there is a relationship: They are not the same.

What if I told you that the answer is somewhere in between these two broken theories while, at the same time, millions of miles away from either one? God does want us to read His word and meet Him in prayer. He does want us to guard our hearts against sinful behavior. He does love us and forgive us when we mess up. He does want us to be good people. But these things in themselves will never get us into Heaven.

For by grace, you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8). ESV 

As Christians, we say a prayer to confess our sins and commit our lives to Christ. But if the words are nothing more than a house of cards, or a display of our good works, we're just checking the boxes as we go. It doesn't matter what your pastor, friend, Brenda, neighbor, Sally, or Facebook followers think about you. If your relationship with Jesus isn't there, He knows it, and that's the only thing that matters.

God's grace is so mysterious because we often feel like we don't deserve it, and we're exactly right. We don't. But He gave it freely anyway. Grace is absolutely scandalous! How could a seasoned criminal skeet by with a free pass? How could the adulterous woman be given a second shot? How could God look upon me as I was drowning in a sea of drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity and decide that I was worthy of His love? I'm not sure - but my heart overflows with joy every day knowing that He did.

Many of us know the story of the thief on the cross who "snuck" his way into Heaven. (See Luke 23) Let's not forget, though, that Jesus was crucified between two separate criminals that day. Both criminals started their day by taunting Jesus, along with the crowds of people who were gambling for His clothes and hurling insults at Him. As they hung upon their own crosses next to Jesus, both criminals saw the same occurrences take place and heard the same words exchanged. But only one man had a change of heart. Only one man recognized that he was being punished justly for his actions. Only one man acknowledged his belief and asked Jesus to remember him when He entered His kingdom. That same man would step foot into paradise with his merciful Savior that day. The other man had a very different outcome.

This paradise-bound thief never checked a box in his life. As far as we know, he had no knowledge of the scriptures. He wasn't a good person or a credible member of society. He never even prayed the sinner's prayer. He simply had a change of heart and acknowledged his faith in Jesus. It was that simple! I would love to have gotten a glimpse of the look on his face as he entered Heaven's gates that day. I smile as I imagine it. And I hold my smile a while longer, realizing that he and I have the same destination.

We don't know what the rest of his life would have held had he not died that day. But I'd like to believe that he would have gone on to do beautiful things. I'd like to believe that he would have spent the rest of his days telling others about the perplexing, mind-blowing phenomenon of the grace that saved him. Not because he had to, and not because it was a requirement to enter Heaven, but because that's what grace does to us. It isn't a box we check, a duty we fulfill, or striving to be an upstanding citizen. Grace is a free and undeserved gift that we have access to receive no matter who we are. And the acceptance of this precious gift leaves us with a bewildering acknowledgment of what Jesus did for us on the cross. It overwhelms our hearts with love and amazement in every way, and in return, our response is to live our lives with honor and reverence to Him. It will never be about requirements. It will always be about what's in our heart, and our heart is something God is incredibly familiar with.

If you would like to commit your life to Jesus today, you can pray a simple prayer that goes something like this:

Jesus, I know I am a sinner and in need of a Savior. I believe that you died on the cross to bring grace and salvation to me. I thank you and praise you for the sacrifice you made. I want to welcome you into my heart to be my Savior from this day forward. Please forgive me of my sins and guide me for the rest of my days.

If you made this commitment today and meant it with all your heart, your eternal residence just changed to a place called paradise where you, myself, and another grateful-hearted thief will endlessly dwell in the presence of our Savior. (I told you it was scandalous!) Our chains are gone, and our debt is paid. Sweet friend, if you prayed this prayer today, my heart could just burst with joy for you! Would you let me know all about it so that I can pray for your walk with the Lord? Email Mackenzie at contact@freedtoflourish.com.