Saturday, February 19, 2011

A thought-provoking anecdote

I really love an anecdote that I once heard from my pastor at church.  I’m not sure where this material actually originated (my pastor called it “an old tale”), but it’s worth sharing.

A man dies and he faces the angel Gabriel at the gates of Heaven.  Gabriel announces, “Here’s how it works: you tell me the good works that you have done; they are all worth points.  If all your works add up to one hundred points you are granted access to Heaven.”  “Well to begin with,” said the man.  “I was married to the same woman for fifty years, and I never cheated on her, not even in my heart.”  “That's great!”  The angel replied, and then added, “That's worth three points.”

“Furthermore, I went to church all my life, supported it with my tithes and offerings, and served it faithfully,” said the man.  “Very good, that’s worth one point,” Gabriel responded.  “What?  One point?"  The man reacted, beginning to panic a bit.  “Well,” the man continued.  “I opened a shelter for the homeless; I fed hungry people by the hundreds.”  “Fantastic, that's worth two points!”  The angel reported.  “Two points?”  The man repeated, now clearly nervous.  “At this rate the only way I’ll get into Heaven is by the grace of God!”  “Come on in,” said Gabriel.

Do you get the moral of the story?

Kevin Bauer

No comments:

Post a Comment