DO YOU BECOME WEARY?

 DO YOU BECOME WEARY?

I would never describe myself as depressed or melancholy. I am not the sort to sit and brood upon days that have now slipped into the past. I learned many years ago that as soon as one second of time slips by I cannot ever change its content. And so, I seldom concern myself with yesterday. But, even I can be slapped in the face when great compilations of failure and nonproductive years amass before my consciousness.

I had one of those moments recently. I say moments because I do not allow them to remain. However, the thoughts I had that day caused me to rethink my daily activities. And in that respect negative thinking can be positive.

As I sat at my table with breakfast and coffee I broke down in great tears of remorse. I am not being melodramatic. I am very serious. You see, each of us knows ourselves better than anyone else. And I know at least some of what God could have done with my life. And as I sat here I made the mistake of reflecting. I saw the multitude of years wasted. I saw great destruction and devastation of years that should have, and could have, been used for so much more. Years of time, not days or weeks but years completely void of service. I sat for some time in tears of remorse and brokenness. I asked myself if there really was any purpose to continuing into the last years of life with so much failure in my past. No, I was not suicidal. My question was simply “do I just grab a bench on the sideline of life and wait for the end?”

Many Bible characters came to mind quickly, men and women that God used later in life. And many others whose great contribution to the plan of God for this world was simply a single act in a single moment of time. I began to be encouraged when I remembered that tomorrow could be the best day of my life and my greatest service to God. Maybe I did mess up the first 40 years of my Christian life, but that doesn't mean today can't be great. I reminded myself of a phrase I coined many years ago, “Never allow failure to defeat you.” Failure only wins when we finally give up. And as I sat here feeling sorry for myself the question came to mind, “do you still have breath?” 

Psalm 150 says, “Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbral and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.” 

If I am alive and still breathing I can praise Him in song and testimony everywhere I go and in every conversation I have. Is that a “small” thing? The final Psalm was dedicated to this one thought, that we praise God. I can't believe it is only a “small” thing. When God gives this much time to conveying one thought it must be a very great thing. I still have breath. With all of my tomorrows I will do this one great thing, I will praise the Lord and I will not allow yesterday to steal even one more of my tomorrows.

God gave you breath...Praise ye the Lord.

If not now, when

 

NOT NOW? THEN WHEN?

So many people say, “When I stand before God I am going to tell him…..” Or, “When I stand before God I will just take whatever comes.” And for others the reaction is more like, “I know I need to do something, but not right now.”

Please, look closely at this verse, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Rev 20:12). 

Notice very carefully that those who come into the presence of God on the Day of Judgment…are silent. Nobody is asked to defend their position, or to explain their situation or, and more importantly, nobody on that day is offered a second chance. The only thing that happens on that day, before God passes judgment, is “the books were (or will be) opened.” And if you read that verse one more time you will also notice that “another book was opened” also. Why two sets of books?

Today, as you read this, your name is in a book in heaven. And today, while you are still here on this earth and alive, you can decide which book your name is in. If we could go up into heaven right now, if we could enter God’s judgment hall today and open the books of heaven, your name would be in one of those books.

Far too often people get the idea that somehow if they can just do a few really good things God would let them into heaven. Which good things would that be? How many of those good things would it take? How would you know when you have completed just enough of those good things? And what if you died just before you finished that last really good thing? But, it just isn’t true. That is not the way God designed it. Romans 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  Jesus died as our sacrifice for sin so that our names might be written in the Book of Life. Jesus paid the debt for our sin. Our work, or our effort in any form, cannot ever pay for any sin. God will only accept the sinless blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ on our behalf:

Romans 3:25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God….

Hebrews_9:22b …and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Hebrews_10:18 Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering (needed) for sin.

Looking at these passages, our names are already in His books if our sins have been removed by the sacrifice of Christ. Your name is either in the “books” or your name is in the “book” as we arrive at the judgment seat. The distinction between the “books” and the “book” is given in verse 15, “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” The dead, those who are not saved, are judged out of the things written in the books (v.12-13). The final judgment is eternal and that judgment will be horrible if your name is in the books. It may be worse for one than for another but, eternity in hell is horrifying no matter how you may view it.

I have heard so many make jokes about it. I have heard people say, “Well, at least I will be with my friends and we will party when we get there.” In reality, it is more likely that we will blame one another for being there. And we will undoubtedly be praying that none of our family members ever have to join us there.

In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus shares the only instance we have of a real life record of a man going to hell. His response is not what so many joke about today. Instead, the man in hell (Luke 16) is in torment and begs for even a drop of water to cool his thirst. And his final thoughts are on his family. He pleads with Abraham to send Lazarus to his five brothers who are still alive on earth to warn them about this horrible place. Abraham’s response is unbelievable, but so true, especially when we understand how evil the human heart can be. He said that if they will not listen to the Word of God being preached here, while they are alive, they would not listen even if a ghost from hell (like Lazarus) appeared before them as a testimony.

How many times have you heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ preached? Every time you heard it you were given an opportunity to move your name from the books of judgment to the Book of Life. As you read this today you are being given one more chance. It could in fact be, your last chance. God does not owe us even one chance to be saved. If you have ever heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ and been given one opportunity to be saved and have your name placed in the Book of Life, that was one more chance than God owes any of us. Did you receive Christ at that time? Did you get saved that day and have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life? Or, did you say, “Not now.” Will you wake up tomorrow morning and have one more chance? Or, will you discover your name was written in the books of judgment as God reads from their pages and proclaims, “Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41)?

If not now, then when? Normally, none of us plan to die. Most of us go to bed in the evening fully expecting to wake up here, on earth, in the morning. But, will we? A few months ago, a friend of mine was returning home from a doctor’s visit. He pulled his car to the side of the road, and died. Two months ago, another friend, riding his 4-wheeler on his farm, wrecked and died. January 16, 2023, I stopped my Versa at a 4 way stop sign. As I pulled through, I was broadsided by a Chevy Tahoe who never even slowed for the stop sign. Obviously, I did not die. But for a brief moment I believed I had. For me, it would have meant the glory of God and eternal joy.

If you died today, are you sure heaven will be your home for eternity? To find out how you can have your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life go to: http://christxalted.blogspot.com/2016/01/how-to-be-born-again.html       (Or, click on "How to be Born Again" in the top left corner of this page.)