The stranger at the restaurant

You're enjoying a glass of wine as the waiter takes your dinner order. Life is good. Your shares keep going up, you've just been promoted - and that means you can afford a new car. You just got engaged to a beautiful woman after she said marriage or finish.

You pull out the gospel tract someone gave you the other day. It says “with Jesus you'll have a better life. He really loves you and wants to come into your heart. He will bring peace,” it says.

You're thinking, why do I need him? I've got money, health, good job, everything I want. Peace too. Suddenly a man appears at your table. "It's so crowded here," he says. "Mind if I share?" You nod and he sits down.

During the meal he engages in small talk for a while, then suddenly he asks, "Do you consider yourself a good person?"

Oh yes, yes, I’m really good.” You spend two minutes extolling what a good person you are.

The man says "Can I ask you a few questions to see if that's true?" You agree. "These are about the ten commandments.* Did you ever tell a lie?" A little startled, you grudgingly admit it. "Did you ever steal anything, maybe at school?" How did he know that? You confess to taking your classmate's shiny new pen when you were 14.

"Did you ever look at a woman with lust?" Your conscience has you saying yes. He points out gently what Jesus said, that looking with lust is committing adultery in the heart.# You don't tell him you're already sleeping with the fiancee.

He calmly says that by your own admission you have broken God's laws, and at Judgment Day God must find you guilty, and condemn you. Then he says, "But there is a way out for you. Jesus on the cross has taken your sins, He took your punishment, and only by repenting, believing and trusting in Jesus, will you be accepted into heaven." He takes out a little red bible and shows you John 14:6.

The man stands up. "Gotta go. Please consider what we talked about."

You nod. “Yeah, thank you.”

As he stands and leaves, you realize for the first time you are not so good after all. You realize you are guilty before God, and that you need Jesus to save you.

Exodus 20

Matthew 5:28

[With acknowledgment to wayofthemaster.com, whose website partly inspired this story.]