Fire Insurance

Have you ever herd the expression
"I would rather spend my life BELIEVING in God, to die and find out he DIDN'T exist, than to spend my life NOT believing, to die and find out he DOES."

What are your thoughts when you first read this?
Do you think "that's a good way to look at it"?

Let me give you a different scenario...
Let's say your hanging out with your friends and your little sister wants to tag along. But you don't want her to go. Now let's say you feel you have to let her tag along because if your parents find out you're going to be in a lot of trouble. So you let her tag along. Not because you want her to... but because you feel you have too for fear of getting in trouble.

When you say that you believe in God because of a fear of the consequences if he doesn't exist... you are doing nothing more than purchasing fire insurance.
And I have to admit my guilt with this.
When I was growing up, I went to church every Sunday and I did believe in God. But when I got a little bit older I started hearing lessons about the second coming of Christ. And what a Hell on Earth it's supposed to be. I remember being told that if I didn't get baptized, I would be left behind to endure the hell on earth. I was terrified. If I could have jumped in my bathtub and baptized myself... I would have done it right then and there. We soon began going to another church... but I was still scared that if I didn't get baptized I would be left behind. So I did it. When I turned 13, I asked my father to baptize me. But I was merely dunked in water. If you were to ask me 5 years ago why I believed in God I would have said "Because I don't want to go to hell." And if that's the way you feel... you've completely missed the point.

God does not want a relationship with you because you fear hell. You should have a desire to be with God so that you can spend eternity with Him.

God isn't your fire insurance... He's your protector, your friend, your comfort, your stability, and your savior.