Eternity. Seems like a long time, doesn't it? A common phrase that people use when someone dies is that he or she has "met their maker." It's frightening to think that all of us will eventually stand before the Creator of the universe. What will we say?
Most people who believe in God (or a god) believe that there is some sort of life after death. Not everyone believes in a place called hell, although most do believe (or, at least, want to believe) in a place called heaven. And most who believe that there is a heaven think that they are going there.
KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCKIN' ON HEAVEN'S DOOR
But, how would you answer the question, "If you died today, what would happen to you?" Let's assume that you answer as many do and say, "I'm going to heaven." That's great! But, imagine that you're at heaven's front door and you "meet your maker" and He says to you, "Why should I let you into my heaven?" That's a fair question, isn't it? What would you say?
Here are some common answers to that question:
- "I went to church every week."
- "I tried to live a good life."
- "I had a really tough life and I deserve it!"
- "I wasn't nearly as bad as that guy next door!"
HEAVEN CAN'T BE EARNED
All of these statements refer to something that we do to "earn" our way to heaven. In our world, we get very few things unless we earn them. We don't get good grades unless we earn them. We don't get a good job unless we earn it. But, the grading scale that God uses is different than the one that our teachers or bosses use.
God does not grade on the curve. He demands perfection. The only passing grade is 100! None of us can be perfect. None of us can please God through what we do in this world. Does this mean that no one is going to heaven? It looks that way. None of us can be good enough to please an all-holy God. What is to be done then?
A GIFT
Since we can't earn our way to heaven by being good there must be another way. The Bible tells us that, "the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:23). So, eternal life is a gift - a gift freely given to us by God. When Jesus lived on earth, He lived a perfect life. No one else has ever walked this planet and remained sinless. Yet, He died for sin - not His sins, but our sins. He was able to earn for us what we are unable to earn for ourselves.
God cannot let sin go unpunished. To do so would mean that He is less than the sovereign God of the universe. Jesus took our place on the cross. He died so that we could live...eternally. If you want to end the impossible task of trying to earn your way to heaven, you can. The Bible tells us that, "if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved'"(Romans 10:9).
YOUR MOVE - Click Here
Do you believe that Jesus died for your sins? Are you ready to trust in Him for your eternal salvation? If so, this might be a good prayer for you:
Lord Jesus, I want you to come in and take over my life right now. I am a sinner. I have been trusting in myself and my own good works. But now, I place my trust in you. I receive you now as my own personal savior. I believe that you died for me. I receive you as Lord and Master of my life. Please help me to turn from my sins and follow you. I acknowledge the free gift of eternal life. I am not worthy of it, but I thank you for it. Amen.
ETERNITY IS A LONG TIME
Heavy stuff, isn't it? But, also very serious. Does anything else matter more? Think about it. Is it possible that this life is all that there is? There must be more to it, right?
Our entire lives here are just a wink of an eye compared to eternity. We're all going to spend 99.99% of our time in eternity and yet many of us spend 99.99% of our time worrying about this life.
But, nothing in this life really matters very much. You won't take your car, your job, your money, or anything with you into eternity. It will just be you facing God. He won't be the least bit impressed with your bank account or the amount of RAM in your PC.
So, what will you say when God asks you, "Why should I let you into my heaven?" If you are concerned about where you will spend eternity, please contact us by clicking on the icon below. A member of our staff would love to spend some time talking with about this eternal decision.
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