“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13 NLT)
Yesterday’s post addressed the fact that every one of us will one day die unless the Lord returns first. But even then, if we’re not hidden in the Lord and He in us, it will be too late. Death is no respecter of persons; infants die as well as those who have lived more than 100 years. Our age or state in life doesn’t matter, we’ll all one day stand before the Lord to give an account of our lives, but even then, it will be too late to be forgiven if that decision hasn’t already been made.
Is that harsh? No, it’s just reality. The Lord in His mercy, kindness, and grace allowed His only Son to come to earth, live a perfect life, then lay down His sinless, holy, body to die in our place, to pay the penalty for sin that we could never in eternity pay for ourselves.
We are given the privilege and opportunity to receive the gift of eternal life that only Jesus offers (John 14:6), but we must make that choice before we die, or He returns. That’s not harsh, it’s the free, unmerited gift that we’re offered, but there is a time limit on how long the offer will stand. It’s a decision we must make while we can. Once we close our eyes in death or the Lord returns, the clock has stopped for us.
The question was raised in yesterday’s post regarding how we can know for sure we are going to heaven, and I compared the answer to that question with how I know I’m married. And some may say: “But they’re not the same!” And you’d be right, they aren’t exactly the same, but they have some common characteristics.
They’re both relationships that have a specific beginning. Our walk with Jesus is no less moment by moment than my walk with my wife. She’s always on my mind even when we’re apart. Jesus is always on my mind and in my thoughts whether I’m engaged in something “religious” or not. He’s my Father, my friend, my confidant, my everything.
There is nothing that effects my life in any way that doesn’t concern my wife, and, likewise, there is nothing that concerns my life that doesn’t concern my Savior. I know I’m married, not simply because I said words and received a ring. I’m married because I made a commitment to my wife “until death do us part.” I’m going to heaven not simply because I said a prayer and attend weekly ceremonies in a building.
I’m going to heaven because the Spirit of God resides in me. We have a relationship that demands near moment-by-moment conversation. My “God time” isn’t simply the time I set aside to pray, read, and study God’s Word or write my thoughts in a blog. Every second of every day is my time with God. He has promised He will never leave me, and I have committed to Him that I will never leave Him – in my thoughts or actions, I will not knowingly shift my focus from my intent to walk faithfully as long as I live.
So, that brings me back to my original question: “Will this be the day?” And this question has at least two dimensions: First, will this be the day you die? None of us know that for sure. But the other piece is: if you don’t have full assurance that you’re going to heaven, decide right now to get that question settled. Click the highlighted link and watch a 2-3 minute video with Ron Hutchcraft.
Let’s look at one more piece of this question in tomorrow’s post.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 