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A few years ago some friends and I attended the Fort Worth Stock Show. There a local radio station was having a drawing to win a truck. A girl from our group decided to fill out as many entry forms as she could. Turns out it worked!
The next week she gets a call from the station telling her she is their grand prize winner! When she went to claim her prize her joy turned to sorrow. She wasn’t eligible. In the fine print, it required the winner to be 18 years old. She was only 17. Instead of driving home in a new truck, she came home empty-handed.
It’s truly a sad story because it couldn’t have happened to a nicer girl. But it illustrates what Paul is said in 2 Timothy 2:5, only those that follow the rules can win.
Unfortunately many will not receive the crown of life because they have not obeyed the rules that God has laid down. All the work they have done will be in vain because they disobeyed God by not following his standard. Make sure that you are living according to God’s rules so you don’t miss out on your reward!
Barry Haynes
Hope church of Christ
Hope, AR