Mr Miller was my math teacher in high school. I cant think of anybody who didn’t like the guy. He would give an extra credit at the end of the semester to anyone who had perfect attendance to his class. He called it “The Boost”. As long as you showed up every day, you got The Boost, and your grade would go up. He would sit at his desk and call out each individual’s name and whether or not they got The Boost. For some people, that meant going from an A to an A+, or a C+ to a B-, for example. On several occasions, I saw guys go from an E (same as an F) to a D- and save them from flunking out.
Of course, it never benefited me, since you can’t go higher than a A+ (yeah right, I loved The Boost). Ha ha.
Some people treat Jesus just like The Boost. They think that what God offers in Christ is some sort of leg-up in life. It’s like they are doing a really good job and trying their best, but they just need Jesus to come along and make up for those few areas where they fall short.
Or maybe they realize they are a failure and they figure Jesus will tip the balances for them and give them a passing grade.
Some even go so far as to reject the sacrifice of Christ altogether and stand before God on their own. They think that God will overlook their faults based on their attempts at living a good life overall. Unfortunately, God doesn’t grade on the curve. His judgement and His justice will be perfect and according to truth. What people don’t realize, is that all their attempts at obedience and good works are not earning them any extra credit with God. They are just doing what they are supposed to be doing in the first place, so doing what is right doesn’t counterbalance doing wrong.
Truth be told, Jesus is infinitely more than just a ‘boost’. He is our lifeline. We were all failures, and he came to make us perfect. It’s like we were all flunking out and Jesus came and gave us an A+. A perfect score!
For God made Him who knew no sin to become sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2Cor 5:21
Without Christ, we don’t stand a chance of a passing grade and making it into heaven.
God gave us the ultimate Boost in the blood, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Will you receive it?