Basis of Appeal

  In all of my thirty-two years of raising children, I've only taken one to the ER for a fever.  It was my son, Ben.  On Saturday, he was playing just like any other day.  On Sunday morning his temperature was up.  I sent the rest of the family to church, but the fever rose steadily and nothing that I did brought it down.  When he became like a limp dishrag, I summoned my family to come home from church. 
  There were good reasons for the fever.  He had a double ear infection and pneumonia, but amazingly, our insurance company refused to pick up the tab.  I immediately set to work on an appeal.  Rightfully, we won the appeal and our insurance company paid the bill.
  My husband was elated that I could pull this off, but got an entirely wrong idea.  The next time we had a bill he thought I'd just write a letter and we'd be off the hook.  I looked at him increduously, wondering what could possibly be the basis for my appeal.  He was miffed at me.  I had done it before, why couldn't I just do it again?
   He was in the same camp that some people are in when relating to God.  For some reason, they think God is obligated to answer their appeals when, in fact, they have no basis whatsoever to make their requests in the first place.
  God has made a way to be reached by anyone and for any reason, but first there is one little stipulation, that we come through his son, Jesus Christ.  Bargaining is useless.  We have nothing the Lord needs and He has everything we need.  If we think we can come on our own merits we have missed the whole reason Jesus had to die on the cross, to pay for every sin we have ever committed or will commit.  What God wants from us in return for a hearing is our very lives, offered up in humble recognition of our absolute poverty and emptiness before the King of Kings. 
  It is a high price to pay.  No one likes to admit they are in the wrong.  We'd like to think we can get along just fine by ourselves, thank you very much.  And  God will allow us the freedom of doing just that, if we so desire. 
  But know this, He longs to extend His mercy and grace to you and is waiting for you to call upon His name.  He is patient and kind, but we don't know what tomorrow may bring.  Every day that passes brings us one day closer to eternity and if you haven't bent the knee in this life, you will have no basis of appeal for the next.

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