My last blog was prefaced with a story about a horrendous accident within a block of our home in which a man lost his life due to a criminal, who was evading police. At that time, I reiterated the truth that we are not guaranteed tomorrow.
That truth was reinforced, when on Wednesday the 16th, we buried my husband’s mother. Thursday, the 17th, Michael’s brother’s wife, Terry, lost her fight with Covid-19. It is difficult to process what my brother-in-law is going through after losing his mother and then his wife of 47 years within a week of each other. Your prayers would be appreciated for Tom and his family.
As I was writing this, an ambulance and fire rescue arrived in our subdivision to once again remind me of the fragility of life. Fortunately, we have this hope: “If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised [Jesus] from the dead, then you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Simply stated—when we confess Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the Lord of our life, we are saved from hell’s fires, to spend eternity with God.
My father died at the young age of 45. I was 16, my younger brother was 15, and our older brother was a 23-year-old newlywed. My mother, a high school teacher, instilled within her children good values, and as a widow, she did her best to provide a comfortable home. However, not being raised with any understanding of the Christian faith, her best efforts never filled the void or brought comfort after our father’s death.
I wore the label of Christian, yet I had no idea what that meant. My mother had told me that Christ had been a prophet and a good man whose example we were to follow. I was not taught He was the Son of God. And despite efforts to see God as loving, I could only view Him as a distant, uncaring ogre, who robbed us of our father.
I am so grateful for those faithful Christians who prayed those many years for our family. Though my father and younger brother died years apart, each had accepted Christ as their Savior only weeks before their deaths. God again proved Himself faithful, when, five years before my Mother’s death at age 83, she confessed Jesus as Lord of her life. Sadly, our lives could have been more joyful and complete had we followed Christ as a family.
Without a godly compass, I struggled to find purpose and direction for my life. Poor choices were made based on stilted perceptions of God and the world’s values. In my naivety, I married a divorced father of three. After three years of extreme emotional and mental abuse, and the beginnings of physical abuse, I escaped with our ten-day-old son. As a divorced, broken, and struggling new mother, I was desperately looking for answers. Fortunately, one snowy night in 1972, those answers came when I asked Jesus Christ to be Lord of my life.
Since surrendering my life to Jesus Christ, God has charted an exciting course that has given me direction and purpose. Though this journey has, at times, been difficult and puzzling, God has never left me, nor has He ever forsaken me. He has been a faithful Father and friend, who has loved, guided, protected, nurtured, and provided for our every need.
The year 2020 has solidified my understanding that life can be difficult and unfair; the future is uncertain and tentative; and struggles are plentiful and overwhelming. The body, mind, and spirit yearn for an oasis of peace. Rich or poor, we all pass through good and bad experiences, problems, and eventually death.
This earth is not our home; therefore, where we spend eternity cannot be left to chance. We cannot hope that we go to heaven; we must be confident that heaven is our destination, for this is certain—there are only two destinations. One is an eternity of unspeakable joy with Jesus Christ and His Father in heaven. The other is eternal torment and suffering with Satan and his demonic realm.
Jesus said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one (Satan) who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). If you question the reality of hell, read “23 Minutes in Hell” by Bill Wiese, or watch his video on YouTube.
Maybe you surrendered your life to Christ years ago and follow Him with your whole heart. Or perhaps you can relate to my story of striving to be “good” in hopes of avoiding hell and attaining heaven. If being a good person gave us a ticket to heaven, then why did Jesus say to the penitent thief on His right, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). Yet Jesus did not say that to the unrepentant thief to his left. Repentance and accepting Christ was required.
We cannot earn our way to heaven with good works or by living a good life, though Christians are to live righteously and do good works for God’s kingdom. Eternal life is a gift made possible through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Though some believe there are many paths and methods to reach God, His Word tells us there is only one road, and it was paved with the blood of Jesus Christ. For Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no one comes to the Father, but by Me” (John 14:6).
God, the Creator of the universe, will guide and direct our steps if we allow Him. He is peace, comfort, and joy in difficult times and in the darkest of storms. We may have every monetary comfort, but if we don’t have Him, our soul is disquieted, empty, and yearning for more things to satisfy that longing within.
Jesus came that we would have life and have it more abundantly. He wants to ease our pain, comfort us in times of trouble and sorrow, rejoice with us in times of joy, heal our brokenness, and guide us to our destiny. If you have never made a verbal commitment to Christ, I invite you to speak the following prayer:
Father, Your Word says that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Therefore, I confess that I am a sinner. I believe Your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for me; He rose again from the dead, and now sits at Your right hand. I repent of my sins and ask Your forgiveness. I surrender my life and will to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Help me to turn from those things that have drawn me away from You. I ask that You fill me with Your Holy Spirit, according to John 3:3 and Acts 1:5, for those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God (Romans 8:14). My desire is to follow You with my whole heart. Thank You for all that You have done and all that You are about to do in my life and the lives of my family. In Jesus’ name, amen.
Picture courtesy of frank-mckenna-eXHeq48Z-Q4-unsplash.jpg