Eternity is at Stake

For it is by grace [God’s remarkable compassion and favor drawing you to Christ] that you have been saved [actually delivered from judgment and given eternal life] through faith. And this [salvation] is not of yourselves [not through your own effort], but it is the [undeserved, gracious] gift of God. (Ephesians 2:8, AMP)

Today, I have to be honest…  the devotional I’m about to write tears my heart apart.  It breaks me inside and causes my eyes to well up with tears.  In fact, writing about it is difficult.  I would love to gloss over it.  I would love to pretend it doesn’t exist.  But I can’t gloss over it and I can’t pretend it doesn’t exist.  Even if acknowledging it hurts!

The thing that is difficult to write is Hell and the eternal punishment that awaits those who do not know Christ as their personal Savior.  Honestly, this hurts because I know people who have left this earth without knowing Jesus as their personal Savior and I know quite a few living today who are in the same boat.  I ache for those who do not know my Jesus.  I would love to pretend like Hell doesn’t exist because then I could believe that everyone I love is safe.  I would love to gloss over it and make it sound pretty because I don’t want anyone I love to suffer.
The Truth is no matter what I do or how I respond to it…  It still exists.  Hell is a real place!  I can’t numb down the idea.  I can’t make it disappear.  It’s real and without Jesus, those I deeply care about are headed straight for it.  There are many days that this truly breaks my heart and that place of compassion wells up inside of me.  But has it moved me to action….  Hmmm!  I can’t say that it has, at least not every day.  I can’t say that I have come to a reckless abandonment of sharing who my Savior is.  All I can ask myself is why????  Why am I not sharing Jesus more?  I look at the truth found in Philippians 2:9-11 and I’m faced with the reality that exists.

“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Wow, every knee is going to bow at the name of Jesus and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.  If I truly believe that this is the case, then I must ask myself…  “Do I want those I care about to surrender now on this earth?  Do I want them to turn their lives over to the Savior?  Do I want them to bow now or later?”  Yes, I want people to know that Jesus is Lord.  The day will come when every knee will bow, so why not give those I care about an opportunity to bow now.  Why not teach them the Truth of God’s Word?  The Truth is that eternity is real and you will end up in one of two places:  Heaven or Hell.  And in either one of those places, you will bow to the King of Kings.  You will confess that Jesus is Lord.  That I can guarantee!  Will you be someone who confesses with great joy and awe for the Lord?  Or will you be someone who regrets not yielding your life to Christ on earth?

The choice is yours!  It always has been!  You can choose Jesus and experience life or you can leave this earth and confess Him later.

Please take time to read FREE Gift, if you want to learn more about the life that Jesus offers to you!

Jesus answered, “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  ~John 14:6

The Word of God is simple.  It really isn’t complicated at all.  There is ONE WAY, ONE TRUTH, and ONE PERSON who leads us to eternal life with God.  Will you accept this truth and live it out to the best of your ability?  I know I want to.  I want to live like I really believe there is a Hell and that people I care about are going there.  I want to share Jesus!  I want to make sure that every encounter I have with anyone counts for eternity. Are you with me?

Dear Father God, I know that there is power in the name of Jesus.  I know that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess one day.  I know that Jesus is the only way to Heaven, so now I pray that I live this knowledge out.  May I be fully surrendered to the work of the cross and may I wake up every morning not wanting even one life to perish without knowing my Savior.  Oh Lord, please increase my awareness of eternity and help me to live in a way that makes a difference!

Eternity is at Stake,