Fortune
By Ken Alvis
Do you realize the amazing fortune that we have in Jesus Christ? Ephesians 3:8 refers to the “unsearchable riches of Christ” or the “endless treasures.” This literally means it cannot be measured, counted, or comprehended. In other words, there is no limit to the riches of Christ. We can try, but we can never comprehend all that Christ gives to us. The apostle Paul tells us some of these riches in Ephesians 1:7-14:
“7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
So, our eternal fortune includes redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, the knowledge of the mystery of His will, the message of truth, the sealing of the Holy Spirit and our inheritance is guaranteed. We are so blessed, and we cannot even begin to comprehend all that is ours! Let that sink in!
One of the great riches we all have is God’s grace of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. I call that an amazing “fortune.” This free gift, this “fortune” is available to all, yet so many reject it. Think about it: How would you like to have a fortune, yet you don’t receive it, or don’t accept it, or access it?
What good would it be to have a fortune yet not be able to access it? Yet, that’s the ultimate condition of all who die without Christ as their Lord and Savior. As a disciple of Christ, we know they are making an eternal mistake, which is why we continue to pray for salvation for others.
There is an amazing true-life story of a person and his ability to access an earthly fortune. Stephan Thomas is a programmer living in Switzerland. About twelve years ago, he worked for a top tech company where he was contracted to edit a video that explained how crypto currency works. What was different is that he was not paid as you and I are paid, which is currency. He was paid in bitcoins. A bitcoin is a type of digital currency. During the time he was contracted by the tech company, he was paid a total of 7,002 bitcoins. At that time, a bitcoin was worth between $3 and $4 each.
When we are compensated, we place our compensation in a bank or credit union. Not with bitcoins, they are placed in a digital wallet, which is an app or online service used to store bitcoins. What makes the digital wallet unique is that it cannot be hacked. It is hackproof, which is good because it provides complete protection.
About two years ago, Stephan decided he wanted to withdraw his bitcoins from his digital wallet. There is a problem. He forgot his password. Again, the digital wallet was specifically designed to be inaccessible without a password. That was the way it was designed. This digital wallet also had another security barrier: you are only allowed ten attempts to guess the password. After ten tries, all the contents in the digital wallet are erased and are lost forever. This true story is wild but is about to get wilder!
He has tried eight times but with no luck. He has two more tries, if he tries again. Currently, he is “on hold.” Oh, the reason he wants to withdraw his bitcoins? The current value of his 7,002 bitcoins has increased from about $25,000 when he first performed his work for the tech company twelve years ago to over $220 million dollars!
Stephan Thomas commented about his predicament and said, “You sort of question your own self-worth. What kind of person loses something this important?” That’s a great question. But the loss of $220 million dollars is nothing compared to the loss of your own soul in eternity, because without God’s password, which is saving faith in Christ, there is no salvation nor heaven for you.
May we all continue to lift up in prayers those who have yet to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in their lives.
“7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, 12 so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”
So, our eternal fortune includes redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, the knowledge of the mystery of His will, the message of truth, the sealing of the Holy Spirit and our inheritance is guaranteed. We are so blessed, and we cannot even begin to comprehend all that is ours! Let that sink in!
One of the great riches we all have is God’s grace of salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. I call that an amazing “fortune.” This free gift, this “fortune” is available to all, yet so many reject it. Think about it: How would you like to have a fortune, yet you don’t receive it, or don’t accept it, or access it?
What good would it be to have a fortune yet not be able to access it? Yet, that’s the ultimate condition of all who die without Christ as their Lord and Savior. As a disciple of Christ, we know they are making an eternal mistake, which is why we continue to pray for salvation for others.
There is an amazing true-life story of a person and his ability to access an earthly fortune. Stephan Thomas is a programmer living in Switzerland. About twelve years ago, he worked for a top tech company where he was contracted to edit a video that explained how crypto currency works. What was different is that he was not paid as you and I are paid, which is currency. He was paid in bitcoins. A bitcoin is a type of digital currency. During the time he was contracted by the tech company, he was paid a total of 7,002 bitcoins. At that time, a bitcoin was worth between $3 and $4 each.
When we are compensated, we place our compensation in a bank or credit union. Not with bitcoins, they are placed in a digital wallet, which is an app or online service used to store bitcoins. What makes the digital wallet unique is that it cannot be hacked. It is hackproof, which is good because it provides complete protection.
About two years ago, Stephan decided he wanted to withdraw his bitcoins from his digital wallet. There is a problem. He forgot his password. Again, the digital wallet was specifically designed to be inaccessible without a password. That was the way it was designed. This digital wallet also had another security barrier: you are only allowed ten attempts to guess the password. After ten tries, all the contents in the digital wallet are erased and are lost forever. This true story is wild but is about to get wilder!
He has tried eight times but with no luck. He has two more tries, if he tries again. Currently, he is “on hold.” Oh, the reason he wants to withdraw his bitcoins? The current value of his 7,002 bitcoins has increased from about $25,000 when he first performed his work for the tech company twelve years ago to over $220 million dollars!
Stephan Thomas commented about his predicament and said, “You sort of question your own self-worth. What kind of person loses something this important?” That’s a great question. But the loss of $220 million dollars is nothing compared to the loss of your own soul in eternity, because without God’s password, which is saving faith in Christ, there is no salvation nor heaven for you.
May we all continue to lift up in prayers those who have yet to accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior in their lives.
Posted in Ken Alvis
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