With so much junk coming in from all angles, don't miss the most valuable thing
Turn on the TV - hundreds of channels, most clogged with nonsense.
Turn on the radio - mostly ads and other nonsense.
Go online - nearly unlimited nonsense.
Satellite radio - concentrated nonsense.
Open your mailbox - bills, and nonsense.
Never in the history of humanity have we had so much information. Any and all information worth having is available in digital format. Readily available, cheap storage and ubiquitous devices we use all day, every day, distracting ourselves is alarmingly easy.
Advertising has gotten more and more sophisticated in its ability to reach us. With algorithms processing impossibly large stores of data, they can target a message to you when you are most likely to respond to it.
Google, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Verizon and many others are not big because access to their platforms is free and easy and open to anyone with access to the web. They're big because they have captured data on virtually everything we do on their sites, and elsewhere on the web.
Tiny pieces of information mean little by themselves. But when used to create a mosaic of you, your preferences, your contacts, places you go and how you get there, when you are likely to browse, your needs, and a zillion other tiny data points, it comes out crystal clear.
The messages, however, have remained largely the same. They sell hope; to look better, to feel better, to do better, to have more sex, to have better sex, to make more money, to achieve fame, to see the world, to have more leisure time.
Or they sell fear; of loneliness, of death, of disability, of aging, of loss, of running out of money, of crime, of health emergencies, of failing those you love, or of leaving those you love unprotected.
Depending on how you present yourself to the world, as interpreted by algorithms and your online behavior, the messages you receive are tailored to your likely needs. For example:
If you are a man in your 40's with young children, expect to see life insurance messages.
If you are a woman in your 30's, when you see women in ads who look like you, they are likely to have babies with them. Or preschoolers.
If you are in your 60's, and it's the last quarter of the year, you will probably be inundated with Medicare-related messaging.
It gets more granular all the time. Messages offering solutions for every type of hope or fear one could have are out there, with increasingly accurate means of selling, not to mention delivering, their solutions.
At no time in history has it been more likely that a product or service will be proposed to a prospective customer who is in the market at the precise moment that they are most likely to buy.
There is an exception. There is one topic that causes people to turn away, to click to another page, to change the channel or to go take a walk.
It's a problem we all have, so it's a mass-market opportunity.
The problem is what is your plan for AFTER you die?
Not the plan for those you leave behind.
The plan for YOU!
If anyone is still reading (thank you!), you probably agree that this is an imponderable problem.
While you know you are going to die, the details - when, where, why, how - are unavailable. How can you solve for an equation when so little is defined and there are so many variables?
16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (John 3:16)
This is the Good News. You are part of the world, so God loves you, personally. And because of this, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to save you.
It doesn't matter what you did in the past, what sins you committed, what wrongs you may have enabled. What matters is that you are His child and He loves you.
He is inviting you to share eternal life with Him.
He is not going to force you, however. He wants you to choose. If you tell Him that you accept His invitation, and you mean it, you will enjoy eternal life in heaven with Him. It is that simple.
What if I say, 'No, thanks?' If you choose not to accept, that's fine. As I said, God won't force you. He wants you to come to Him out of love, not fear or obligation.
So, what is the catch? There is no catch. This is God making the offer, not some infomercial.
What if I say 'no' now, and then change my mind later? The important thing is for you to say yes. Today is best because tomorrow is not promised to anyone.
What if I say 'yes' now, and change my mind later? Good question. Essentially, you mean, 'Can I lose, or give up my salvation?' Once you accept salvation, you are 'in.' That means you can't lose your salvation even if you sin, even if you fail. God wants you to live a righteous life, but like the father of the prodigal son, He most wants you to come home to Him.
What if you're wrong? If I am wrong, and there is no salvation, and you believed there was, you're no better or worse off. You lose nothing by believing. The better question is, 'What if (I'm) right and you say, no thanks?'
Okay, what do I have to do? You can pray a very simple prayer, something like this:
"Dear God, thank you for this opportunity for salvation and eternal life through your Son, Jesus Christ. I realize I don't understand everything, but I trust you.
Thank you for loving me and saving me.
In Jesus name Amen."
You can say it any number of ways, but the key is sincerity. It doesn't mean you have to be perfect (or none of us would be saved). You don't have to be fancy or elaborate with your words. You can say, 'Dear God, save me!' and He will know what you mean and whether you are sincere.
If you prayed this prayer, you were most likely destined to read this message. Because Google and Facebook are good at targeted advertising, but God is the forever champion of reaching you where you are.
God bless you! Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful day.
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