By George H. Alquist Jr.

      Skiing is an exhilarating sport! I especially enjoy downhill skiing. It is wonderful to be out in the beautiful snow-covered countryside enjoying the scenes of majesty painted by the winter weather. I actually started skiing later in life, but I am glad that I did! It would have been sad not to have found this great sport. The thing I like most about downhill skiing is going fast! The wind in your face, the thrill of speeding downhill and negotiating each turn as it comes.

      You know, there is something else that is going fast - our lives!

      "...For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." (James 4:14)

      Too many people rush through life without finding life's most important thing - salvation! You see, the Bible says that "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." (Heb. 9:27) Our lives will be over in a very short time and then we must meet God in judgment.

      The basis for that judgment will be sin. The Bible says that, "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." (Rom. 3:23) As human beings we sinned against God. This sin has earned us a wage, "...the wages of sin is death" (Rom. 6:23) Because of our sin, we deserve to die and spend eternity in the lake of fire, "And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire", "...This is the second death". (Rom. 20:14,15)

      There is only one way to have your name found in the book of life and that is by receiving Jesus Christ as your Savior. For He said, "...I am the way, the truth, and the LIFE!" (John 14:6) You see, Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is death, but the GIFT of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Jesus came and gave His life on Calvary shedding His blood as the payment for our sins and rose again the third day according to the scriptures. This He did for us so that we could be saved from the wages of our sin - eternity in hell.

      This free gift you can have by receiving Him as your Savior today, "But as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God..." (John 1:12,13) "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." (Rom. 10:13)

      Right now, would you confess your sin to God, see Jesus and receive Him as your Savior trusting Him to take you to Heaven?

      Pray something like this: "Dear Lord, I know that I am a sinner and deserve to die and go to hell. But, I believe that Jesus died for me and rose again. I now call upon the Lord Jesus Christ to save me and be my Savior, trusting only in Him for salvation and eternal life."

      If you have prayed this prayer, we would like to help you with free literature.