Omnipresent Love

Chapter 9 - Deny Yourself

[James' point of view]

"Welcome to Redemption Air flight JN 114 bound for Cebu. This flight will take about 1 hour and 15 minutes," the flight attendant announces for taking off. 

I and Angela had a good time together on m remaining days in Manila. I reviewed the pictures in my digital camera as I reminisce about the good times we had. I smiled as I pressed the next button.

As the plane started cruising on the cloudy skies, I grabbed my bag below to return the camera that suddenly something dropped. It was the gospel tract that Mary gave to me. I almost forgot everything that we have talked about and what the pastor in the church service said.

As I was flipping every colorful page of it, I was amused by what I saw, but still, I was confused. I was reading it again and again hoping to understand what was written on it. My seatmate sitting on the window seat was smiling to me as I struggled with what I read.

"Do you have a problem understanding that friend? I can help you with that," the man asked me.

"Yes, are you a born again Christian sir?"

"Being born again is not like a religion that we know today. It's a personal experience. It's being born from above!" The man pointed upstairs.

"By the way, can you explain this to me? About this illustration on a cross that bridges man to God, and also below the cross is a fire."

"Well brother, this means man is separated from God because by nature people are sinners and God is perfect and holy. Because of that, the only way to go for people is to eternal death in hell!"

"But because God loves us so much, He does not want to let it happen. So He let his one and only son Jesus Christ go down from heaven and be a human so he could die. He needed to die because he is the only one who can be a substitute for us sinners. A substitute to be punished with God because he is also perfect and holy."

The man also encircled and write something on the gospel tract as he explains it to me.

"I see, that is also what was said to me," I remembered what Mary explained.

"But I think whatever religion or Christian group you are, that's the same knowledge we all embrace. I wonder what there are so many groups created," I reasoned.

"Yes, it's true. It depends on what is the core belief of that group. Our core belief is that Jesus Christ is the only way to go to heaven and the only who blotted out our sins. It's not how good you are, it's not how religious you are, it's not how charitable you are. Most of the time we are tipping scales our good and bad works, but that is not how it works!"

"Wait? You mean you don't need to report to God how well you do here on earth because Jesus already died for that? It seems I cannot accept that idea!"

"Those who deserve to go to heaven must have invested heavily in doing good and less bad. I don't like the idea that even those who are criminals who did nothing good can enter heaven just because Jesus died also for them," I continued.

"I understand your sentiment. That why it is called grace brother, it means you get what you do not deserve. No matter how good you are here on earth, in the eyes of God, you still deserve hell. You are just equal with those criminals you just said."

"You must deny yourself James that through your efforts you can enter the presence of my Father. I died for you," The man is showing his hands with a big hole in his wrists again.

I was shocked, the one who is talking to me is the same man in my dreams. Then I woke up. I looked at the gospel tract and the marks of his writings and encircles are still there.