After church I was meeting my family at a fast food restaurant for a quick lunch. As I pulled in, a young man was sweeping up around the building so I grabbed a few tracts and headed toward him to speak to him. He did not see me but continued sweeping and headed back to the trash dumpsters in the back of the building. I finally caught up to him at the dumpsters and began the conversation just thanking him for his work and how well they kept the place clean. I have found that one of the best ways to start a conversation with a stranger (who, as they say, is a friend you have not met yet) is to compliment them. This usually breaks down initial barriers and brings a smile to their face. I followed up by handing him a gospel tract and asked if he had ever read one before. He responded that he had not, so I asked if he ever thought about what happens to people when they die. This led to a discussion about his view of the afterlife which involved depending on your own energy and self-effort as a means of earning your way to heaven. As I shared the gospel, he was open to knowing he did not have to earn what God had provided freely through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus, and following Him is more about surrender than man-made effort.
I am so thankful we do not have to earn our way to heaven as that would burden us daily, trying to figure out when will I do enough good. Ephesians 2:8-9 says ” For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast.”