...if you're not striving to be excellent.

2 Pet 1:3-11 - ³His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. ⁵For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, ⁶and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, ⁷and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. ⁸For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. ¹⁰Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall. ¹¹For in this way there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

...won't work in hell.

But if we stop sinning, drop into the watery grave of baptism, and then roll the gospel chariot along, we can avoid that fiery place of torment and be with our Creator throughout all eternity.

Job 11:7 - ⁷Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty?

Job 38:16 - ¹⁶Have you entered into the springs of the sea, or walked in the recesses of the deep?

is not the absence of conflict. It is the presence of God.

Psa 85:7-13 - ⁷Show us your steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us your salvation. ⁸Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints; but let them not turn back to folly. ⁹Surely his salvation is near to those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land. ¹⁰Steadfast love and faithfulness meet; righteousness and peace kiss each other. ¹¹Faithfulness springs up from the ground, and righteousness looks down from the sky. ¹²Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase. ¹³Righteousness will go before him and make his footsteps a way.

Didja guess?

No...guess again.

Wrong yet again.

Ok, ok...I got nothin.

So did you ever make prank phone calls when you were younger? One time I called a local Kroger store around 8pm. Talking like Owen Wilson, I convinced a manager that I was a representative of Hershey, Inc. I informed him that they needed to remove all the S'more's bars from their shelves because we had made a bad batch. I also told him that a truck with replacement candy bars would be by in the morning. I still remember him saying "I've got someone hanging around the cash registers so I'll get him on that." Crazy.

Your turn...go!