|
Jesus Christ said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes
to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6). Every single
person needs Jesus Christ because every single person is born in
a state of spiritual separation from God. "For all have sinned
and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). It might
be hard to see the impact sin has on your spirit, but the impact
it has on your body is an inescapable reminder. "The wages
of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). Our bodies were not designed
to die! Sin is like a fatal disease we're all born with. The death
we experience in our body is a reflection of the reality in our
spirit. When our sins are forgiven and we enter a relationship with
God, our spirit is resurrected, just like Jesus Christ was resurrected!
"And you He made alive who were dead in trespasses and sins..."
(Ephesians 2:1). We are made alive just like a branch on the ground
is made alive when it is grafted into a vine! It is true that a
branch on the ground may seem to be alive; it may have life in it
for a period of time, but it will eventually turn brown and wither,
just like our bodies eventually wither and die. Jesus is the Vine.
When our spirit is connected to the Vine it is connected to the
life source and will live forever - forever in heaven! When you
stand before God, the only thing that will matter is whether or
not you are connected to the Vine; what He will say if you are not
is no mystery - "then I will declare to them, 'I never knew
you; depart from Me...'" It would be unimaginably terrifying
to stand before God on the edge of eternity and hear Him say "depart
from Me..." (Matthew 7:23). Jesus spoke figuratively of what
would happen next - "if anyone does not abide in Me, he is
cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw
them into the fire [the lake of fire], and they are burned"
(John 15:6-8).
If the clock is still ticking then you still have time. When your
body dies and you enter eternity, the clock will stop ticking and
your decision will be set in stone, the decision to place your trust
- your confidence, your hope - in Christ for the remission of your
sins. When you make this decision in your heart, that which separates
you from God will suddenly be no more, and you will find yourself
in a personal relationship with God forever, forever connected to
the source of life. |
