I Can Eat Two Dozen McDonald's Hamburgers

Have you ever overestimated what you could do? In early 1983, I worked as a manager of a McDonald's restaurant on the west side of Fort Worth. One night, a man came in to the restaurant significantly intoxicated. He began to berate our smallest hamburger saying that he could eat two dozen of them. I challenged him to a contest. I told him that if he could eat 24 of the hamburgers, I would pay for them. However, if he failed to so I would compel him to pay for them.

Accepting the challenge, this man began to eat them one at a time. He crammed them into his mouth and chewed rapidly adding to the drama of his statement that they were so miniscule in size. While the amount of meat on these 24 hamburgers only weighed 2.4 pounds, my new found friend underestimated how much bread he would have to eat. Around burger #19 he began to bog down. In the end he paid for the burgers because he just couldn't bring himself to eat the last 4 or 5.

People around the world overestimate themselves every day in light of eternity. Many depend on the things that they do in life to earn their way into heaven. If you ask them why God will let them into His heaven, you will hear long lists of accomplishments. Individuals will cite how much money they gave to the poor; how they may have helped the elderly; or how often they have attended church services throughout the years.

Conversely, interesting answers are offered up if you people what it would take for someone to go to hell when they die. Evil deeds such as murder, rape, and child molestation top the list. If you query who they think might be in hell, names such as Adolph Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Jim Jones come to mind.

However, the Bible specifically says that heaven is not gained by the things in life that we accomplish. People do not spend an eternity in hell because of the evil things that they are involved with. The sole determinant in a person's eternity rests in this question: What did you do with Jesus?

Jesus Christ made some very bold statements. He dealt with the issue of not believing He is the Son of God in John 8:24, "If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins. " A person is not condemned for sinning. They are condemned to an eternity of torment based upon whether they have called upon the name of Jesus Christ for their salvation. Jesus Christ is the bridge to eternal life in heaven.

People want to believe that all religions lead to the same destination. But, void of Jesus Christ there will none of those groups in heaven. How do I know? A Jewish carpenter told me in the love letter from heaven known as the Holy Bible.