Sitting on a Win

Have you played McDonald’s new game “want prize with that"?” Seeing it reminds me of when a few years ago a friend was telling me he almost won the million dollar Monopoly giveaway at McDonalds. I smiled thinking, “Yeah, haven’t we all thought we were ‘close’ to winning? I just need one more piece.” Only to discover that the whole world was looking for the same piece? My friend continued, “I had just been shoving the Monopoly game pieces from my drink cups and French fries into my wallet planning to check them later. Later, I was going through my wallet and discovered I had literally been sitting on both the ‘Park Place’ and ‘Boardwalk’ tokens. Those tokens were worth a million bucks” he said, “but I discovered the winning pieces months after the contest had closed”.

Feeling overwhelmed for him at his loss, I suggested he check with McDonald’s to be sure he was out of luck and he said he did and they told Him, he was too late. I was crushed for him.

Sadly, billions of people today are at risk of an even greater loss than missing out on a million bucks. Right now, we all have an enormous gift offered to us by God. We know about it because of this verse in the Bible that says, “For God so loved the World that he gave His one and only son that whoever believes in Him, will not perish but will have eternal life.” (John 3:16).

Imagine, what could possibly be better than that? Every one of us could have eternal life in Heaven with God. We just need to claim the gift by believing in Him. How do you know if you believe in Him? You believe in Him if you believe His words enough to act on them. Believing in Him will change your way of life. We must make the choice for ourselves. No one can make that choice for someone else.

Thankfully God’s offer; unlike McDonalds, requires no luck. God offered it to you outright, freely, without partiality. You can have complete forgiveness of your sins and everlasting life with Christ. Just imagine being granted eternal life. That is quite the contrast to our current state which the Bible warns us about, that without salvation in Jesus Christ we are “dead because of our sins” (Ephesians 2:5).

The Bible compares our lives to a vapour being here today and gone tomorrow. McDonald’s offer was time sensitive which my friend learned the hard way. God’s offer is also time sensitive. God’s Word says “Indeed, the ‘right time’ is now. Today is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2). Our neglect in responding to God is a decision to reject God. So consider this an urgent reminder from a friend to carefully consider, the offer you hold is in your hands right now!

I couldn’t bring myself to ask my friend what he ended up doing with the expired winning tickets. It really doesn’t matter though I guess, does it? A better question for me to ask is what have you done with your winning offer.

“For what will it profit a man to gain the whole world and to lose his own soul?” (Mark 8:36).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.” (Acts16:31)

If you want help redeeming God’s offer I’d love to help you. Reach out.

Charlene