Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Today’s message may not be for you but I hope you know someone in your life you may want to share it with. It’s all about going to Heaven when we die. I’m pretty sure you’ve all heard by now that salvation (Eternal life and Heaven) is not something you earn by being good or doing good deeds, and that one attains it simply be believing in Christ. John 3:16 is the bible verse that almost everybody knows and if you knew no others, believing this one would be enough to get you into Heaven. In it, Christ himself said: “For God (The Heavenly Father) so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son (Jesus) that whosoever would believe in Him (Jesus) would not perish (in Hell) but have everlasting life.” (In Heaven) You’ve probably also heard that people are “saved by grace.” (God’s unmerited favor) He only requires that they believe and trust in His Son, Jesus Christ.
That being said, I bet some of you, though you believe in Christ, doubt from time to time that you are really saved. You may not be aware of it, but you let a little voice whisper in your ear something like, “Who are you trying to fool? Look at the way you are; you can’t possibly be a Christian.” Then you dwell on that thought and begin to believe it too. Did you forget that you once believed in John 3:16, or that you once told Jesus you believed in Him, or that you asked Him to forgive you and come into your heart? Well, on that day Jesus saved you and made you His forever.
In the first place, condemning thoughts like that don’t come from God. The Apostle Paul made it very clear when he wrote in Romans 8:1 that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ. The world’s general perception is that only good people go to Heaven when they die; the rest go to the other place. The truth is that if people could be good enough to get to Heaven on their own, Jesus would not have died on the cross of Calvary. The bottom line is that we are all sinners. The only difference between us is that some have believed in Christ and have committed their life to Him, making them “saved and redeemed sinners”; the rest have rejected or have never believed in Him. These are the “lost sinners.” Being saved is a “simple” process; living a God honoring life, on the other hand, is not that simple.
If you believe in Christ today, and if you know you have committed your life to Him, enjoy and relax in your redeemed status. Nevertheless, if you really want to please God, draw close to Him and serve Him like never before. You’ll be doing yourself a big favor and you just may inspire others to do the same.
Memory verse for the week: (Philippians 3:8 NLT) “Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the priceless gain of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I may have Christ.”
