I had the chance to go to one of those talent search auditions last week. I came home from the gym on Saturday and my kids were telling me they heard about it on the radio, and they all wanted to go give it a try, so I called them and set up the appointment. It’s put on by an agency based in Seattle looking for talented people that they can get into show business.
We arrived at the hotel, thinking it was going to be a quick, in and out experience, but were surprised to see hundreds of hopeful candidates, eagerly waiting for their opportunity to impress the judges with their acting, modeling, and singing skills. I was really surprised by how seriously a lot of them were taking it. There were little kids with make-up caked on like supermodels, wearing expensive clothes. People were sitting around playing guitars and practicing their singing while we waited. I felt like we were on the set of American Idol. My kids and I were just showing up to goof off, so I felt a bit underprepared.
The main judge got up and addressed the whole crowd before the auditions, and basically told everyone straight up that they had been doing this a long time and they could recognize real talent when they see it, and not to be disappointed if they aren’t selected. All the make-up in the world, all the flashy clothes in the world, all the singing lessons or acting lessons won’t help if you don’t have the right stuff to make it in the big time. They know who has the stuff to make it and who doesn’t, and out of the whole group, very few of us would receive a call back. Fair enough. I could understand that, but I could tell that a lot of these kids were heading for a serious let-down (as well as a lot of parents).
What a bummer. Go give your best shot, and be told that you aren’t good enough.
We laugh at this kind of stuff, like when we see people who think they are something when they are nothing. I know this because there are reality shows where millions of people watch contestants who suck stand before the judges and get told “No”. But this isn’t limited to people’s talents. We are all the same.
I see the same, unfortunate thing in the area of acceptance before God. As an evangelist, I meet people of all ages in the church and in the world who really do think that they have what it takes to impress God and make it into heaven. Most people honestly think that they are pretty good, and that if and when they ever stand before God, He will see that their lives were lived in a good enough way to gain entrance into heaven. At the same time, there are many in the church who are working really hard at accumulating lots of good works that they think will make them a shoe-in on judgment day.
Sadly, God is much harder to impress than a simple talent search judge. If it depends on talent, good looks, genetics, charisma, or good works, not a single one of us would ever get selected. No one would get in. There is only one way in, and the great news is that anyone can go in that way, but no one is getting in on their own merits.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, but by me.” He’s the only way to heaven.
He also said, “All that the Father gives to me shall come to me, and he who comes to me I will in no wise cast out.” In other words, if you come to Christ, He’s not going to turn you away! Thats the promise of Jesus Himself.
You don’t have to nervously approach God, wondering if He’s going to look at your qualifications and talents, rub His chin for a while and decide if He really wants you. There isn’t a panel of judges who will give you two “Nos” and one “Yes”, or two “Yesses” and one “No”. He has already proved His love for you and His desire for you to be saved by going to the cross.
When your sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ, it doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from or what you’ve done. A humble person who comes to Christ for forgiveness and salvation gets selected and accepted every single time! He offers you a new name, a new nature, a new family, and a new destiny that far exceeds anything this world has to offer in wealth or fame or fortune.
Forget Hollywood, I want to go to heaven!