A Better Plan

A number of years ago in Albuquerque, New Mexico, there was a man named Earl who decided to take his own life one night. Earl was born in Turkey and raised in a Muslim home, but he rebelled against his father and moved to the United States.

He married a woman and later divorced her as his life was going downhill. He was using a lot of drugs. One night, he went to his bank and withdrew all his money so he could go and buy drugs to end his life with an overdose.

But as he was driving to the drug dealer’s house, he turned on the radio and came across a Christian radio station. He liked the song that was playing, so he listened for a while. Then the announcer said the band was playing that night at the Harvest Crusade, which was at The Pit.

The Pit is an arena in Albuquerque, and when Earl looked out the window, he realized he was driving past it.

So Earl pulled over, got out of his car, and walked inside. He heard a song or two and then I got up to speak. And that night, Earl went forward and gave his life to Jesus Christ. He made a very good decision.

Not long ago, I was preaching in Chicago, and I saw Earl. He’s still walking with the Lord, and he’s sharing the gospel with others.

Earl could have died that night in Albuquerque, but he gave his life to Jesus instead. Jesus came to give life. In contrast, the Devil wants you to die. But don’t listen to him. He’s a liar, and he’s the father of lies (see John 8:44).

Just as He showed Earl, God has a better plan for you, and you can come into a relationship with Him today.