This Bears Repeating. . .

I went to a viewing today and it reminded me that regardless of who we are, what we have or have not achieved; what we have or do not have; we will all leave this place at some point. Tomorrow is not promised! And whether you believe it or not, we WILL meet God.

Do you know God?

The only way to know God is through His Son, Jesus Christ. John 14:6 (ESV) says, “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me’.’’  John 17:3 (ESV) reads,” And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”.

Do you know Jesus Christ? Do you know Him as Savior and Lord of all?

Please understand, I am NOT asking if you go to church every week. I am NOT asking if/when you were baptized. I am NOT asking what ministry you serve in at church. I AM asking if you know that God is Holy (among other things) and that sin is offensive to Him? I AM asking if you know that you were born in sin and that you have no power in and of yourself to get rid of your sin? I AM asking if you have acknowledged your sin and turned away (repented) from it? Romans 6:23 (ESV) says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”.  Jesus died on a cross several years ago and the shedding of His blood on that cross paid the price (death) of the sins of all of mankind. This means He died for you. Then, three days later, He rose from the dead.

Do you believe that?

Romans 10:9-10 (ESV) says, “. . .because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.” Believing is a verb. It is action. So, if you are one who claims to believe this about Jesus and knows Jesus as Savior and Lord, from that initial point of belief, do you spend lots of time with Him, in prayer and in His Word? After all, that is how we get to know others. And, have you lived your life in such a way that points to Jesus? If you have not strived to do so, you may want to revisit whether or not you truly know Him.

This is crucial because when we die, we will go to one of two places-Heaven or Hell. Most of believe in Heaven, but many of us question whether Hell really exists. As a Christian rapper put it, “Hell is real and Hell is hot, Y’all!” Revelation 20:10 (ESV) says, “. . . and the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever”.  And, Revelation 21:6-8 (ESV) goes on to say, “And he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.  The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.  But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death’.”

Simply put, those who know God through His Son, Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will inherit eternal life in Heaven when they die. Those who do not know Jesus will go to Hell.