Reader’s Digest wrote of the late Harvey Penick: “For 90-year-old golf pro Harvey Penick, success has come late. His first golf book, Harvey Penick’s Little Red Book, has sold more than a million copies, which his publisher believes makes it one of the biggest things in the history of sports books. His second book, And If You Play Golf, You’re My Friend, has already sold nearly three-quarters of a million. But anyone who imagines that Penick wrote the books to make money doesn’t know the man. “In the 1920s Penick bought a red spiral notebook and began jotting down observations about golf. He never showed the book to anyone except his son until 1991, when he shared it with a local writer and asked if he thought it was worth publishing. The man read it and told him yes. He left word with Penick’s wife the next evening that Simon & Schuster had agreed to an advance of $90,000. “When the writer saw Penick later, the old man seemed troubled. Finally, Penick came clean. With all his medical bills, he said, there was no way he could advance Simon & Schuster that much money. The writer had to explain that Penick would be the one to receive the $90,000.” People often have Penick’s reaction to the fabulous gift of salvation offered in Jesus Christ. We ask, “What must I do?” God answers, “Just receive.” — Eric Hulstrand, Binford, North Dakota. Leadership, Vol. 16, no. 4.

The apostle Paul was a man that gave his whole life to the cause of Christ. Despite beatings, being misunderstood, being falsely accused, and imprisoned, he made up his mind that no matter what the cost he would champion the cause of Christ.

In Romans chapter 1 verse 16 the apostle Paul makes a personal declaration:

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentiles.”

It was for this gospel that he spent his life traveling through the then known world. There were no airplanes, no cars, no internet, no telephone, no DVD, no video, no tape recorder, and no radio. There were two primary means of communicating this message: letters and the spoken word.

Paul always made it clear that the gospel could not be diluted to appease the Jewish sect, it could not be tailored to conform to Gentile customs.

In its purest form, the gospel will both win and offend people.

In fact we are told in 1st Corinthians 1:22,23,27 (NIV):

“Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom,
“but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles…
“But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise.”

That is one of the reasons that a secular culture such as ours tries to reason God out with their finite brains. God is bigger than reason! God’s infinite nature begins where reason ends!

That is why telling people that a God they never met sent His Son to die for a people that hate Him; and telling them that they can be a part of a kingdom they cannot see or perceive with their senses does not make any sense. IT WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO MAKE SENSE.

Why? Because the God-kind-of-love is beyond human comprehension. It is a love that is without condition.

It is a love that can turn a sinner into a saint in a matter of seconds.
It is a love that can heal a terminally ill man or woman destined to die.

It is a love that can forgive the vilest sin.

Look at your life, God saved you after all the terrible things you had done.

Yes, it makes no sense.

IT NEVER WILL!