“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)
There are many things that vie for our attention each moment of every day. There’s no shortage of things we can allow to crowd our mind and heart, sometimes to the exclusion of what God is seeking to say to us. We can fret about the reality of hell or heaven; how did God populate the earth with only a few people; why are there so many different religions; is the Bible really true; and on and on it goes, but at some point, we just need to stop speculating and allow our heart to focus on what we know is true.
John Newton wrote: “Although my memory’s fading, I remember two things very clearly: I am a great sinner and Christ is a great Savior.” In my fading mind my focus is on the things I know, beginning with my certainty that I’m a great sinner and Jesus is a great Savior. Hmmm, seems like I heard that somewhere? 😊
Seriously, when Christ is our firm foundation there’s no experience or piece of information that can shake us. Through the tragedies and triumphs of my life Jesus has been the one solid, certain, and ever abiding presence in my life. Because of my absolute confidence in my relationship with Jesus, I know without question that the Bible is true, sin is a reality in every person’s life, that if not dealt with will result in an eternal separation, thus an eternity of lostness, apart from and without the hope of eternal life in Christ alone by faith alone.
Realizing that, I know that heaven and hell are not only real, but a present reality of every person who dies. Every person will, upon closing their eyes in death, either be in heaven or hell. We are ever-existing beings, which means our soul will exist on earth, in heaven or in hell, but the only opportunity we have to find forgiveness and new life in Jesus is while we’re alive on earth. There are no second chances once we die.
“That’s not fair!” is the cry of many across the sands of time. Actually, it is. You know why? Because that’s the rule the Commander and Chief of the Universe established, and what He says goes – period! I know that because I know Him and He doesn’t waver in differing opinions and He’s absolutely fair and just. There is no one who will love you more, forgive you more quickly, fight for you more fiercely, or grieve more deeply when you ignore Him.
When you question if sin, death, and hell are real all you need to do is look at the Cross. That’s the price God was willing to pay for your redemption, so that you wouldn’t have to ever be without Him. If people who ignore Jesus’ death believe hell is too harsh a penalty for their unwillingness to accept His cure for their sin, what if the man on the cross had been your son. Do you think it would then be okay to ignore his sacrifice?
Nothing becomes real unless and until it becomes personal. It was easy for me to hear of friends and family with dementia and yawn while saying, “Oh, that’s too bad, I’ll pray for them!” Ho hum! But when the diagnosis is for the guy in the mirror, it’s a little more frightening. It’s easy to look at those in our families and spheres of influence going into a Christless eternity everyday without being gripped by the reality of what that means for them.
But one day it’s not going to be “them,” it’s going to be “me” and “you!” One thing I know for sure is that one day, sooner than I can imagine, I’m going to die. And you know what? So are you! Are you ready? You’d better think seriously about your answer while you still have time. I know that for sure!
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed
Walking With Jesus 