...when we can no longer go and tell.
Our loved ones, the kind-hearted neighbor, the generous boss, the diligent co-worker--each will have a day when they face death. We who are saved will find peace and abundance in the arms of God in heaven. But there will be a chasm between we who trust in the Lord, and those who do not. When that time comes, we will no longer tell others of the hope they could have in Jesus. Their hope is gone. Even if we want to go to the others and offer comfort, we will not be able to. We know this because Jesus admonished the Pharisees:
"The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.
"But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us." Luke 16:22-26
Now is the time. Today is the day of salvation. Today may be the only day we have to share our faith and the promise of eternal life. It's so hard to comprehend the idea that people we know who aren't willing to listen today will someday be eternally separated from us and God and will live in eternal torment. But that is truth as written in God's Word. I think of myself with the pain I go through with various things in life. Nothing compares to the pain and heartache a person will experience who does not know God. For again it is written as Jesus spoke:
“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go into hell, where the fire never goes out. And if your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled than to have two feet and be thrown into hell. And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where “‘the worms that eat them do not die, and the fire is not quenched.’ Everyone will be salted with fire." Mark 9:42-48
Some folks scoff and say that they are living in hell on earth. However that is not Biblical. Hell is a real place. Just like Heaven is for real. And there is coming a day when we will no longer be able to proclaim the Everlasting Life people can have in Jesus. They will have made their choice as surely as they choose to brush or not to brush their teeth.
Lord, give us hearts on fire to share Jesus, the anecdote for sin and escape from everlasting torment. You stand at the door and knock and whoever opens the door, You will go in and dwell with them and give them eternal life in Your presence. Help all those who proclaim Your salvation be heard, Oh Lord. Let people hear now, while there is still time. selahV
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