Do You?

Do You?

by David Brenneman 

Oh at first I thought "What do these have to do with each other?" then it started making sense. 

The graphic of your plan vs God's plan and salvation.  

Mankind has, since Adam and Eve, striven to find a way on his and her own to get back into fellowship with God. To find a way to Heaven on his or her own.  Some, by way of wealth and knowledge, some by acts of kindness and compassion. Some by a mix of all that.  Sacrificial living.  Being 'good' in their own eyes. 

Truth says: I am the ONLY Way.  The ONLY truth.  The ONLY life. No one comes to the Father but through Me. 

It matters not what we may think of our own personal morality. Does not matter how perfect we think our lives were in this world while we lived them.  It does not matter if we did all things for all people. 

Without salvation in Christ Jesus for the remission of sins, your next experience after death is torment in Hell, paying for the sins you still owed.  

When you come to Christ for salvation, when you realize it's God's plan for you, when you believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, He stamps your bill "paid in full".  Your sins are remembered no more.  There is no record of them. 

So many people had believing spouses whom they want to see again.  They know they believed and knew the kind of life they lived, yet have not come to the place of seeing their own need for salvation.  The Bible is really clear, without salvation in Christ Jesus, those people will not see them again.  To those people it needs to be understood that they too need to realize that Jesus was that important to their spouse and needs to be that important to them too.  Seeking to be saved only to see a loved one again isn't the right reason.  Seeking to be saved because of sin and needing to be cleansed from it through the work of Jesus Christ should be the reason.  Wanting what those people wanted, a right relationship with Jesus should be the reason. 

Our plans on living differently because of wanting to be where they are won't work. 

Sames goes for friends and other family members.  

We need to realize salvation is never just to be where someone else is.  It's to be made right with God. 

So many people are in Hell because of living a life of misconceptions.  They died thinking it was enough and find out too little too late that it wasn't.

Salvation is to be made right with God, not about just escaping this world.  

Salvation isn't a ticket to get out to be with those we loved in this life, be it spouses, children or others. 

If you truly want to see those people again...then want what they wanted...a right relationship with Jesus Christ. 

If indeed those people were saved in Christ Jesus, my Dear Reader, as difficult as this might be to understand...they loved Jesus more than they loved you. That is to say their relationship was that important to them.  Important enough that more than likely they tried to share that with you.  

I do agree with many who hold to the "age of accountability" before God.  That there is an age where knowing good from evil takes a person from being unaware of sin to knowing what it is.  My belief is those children and even special needs adults who die will indeed find themselves in the presence of Jesus.  

My Dear Reader, salvation isn't a get out of Hell free card. Salvation isn't what many subscribe to for all the worldly reasons people seek an afterlife.  Salvation, the crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus was entirely to atone for the sins of mankind.  Not to create an easy out of this world into Heaven because of wanting to be with someone else.  Salvation cost Jesus more than we will ever have the comprehension level to understand of what He endured.  The monumental grief and pain of being separated from His Father even for those moments.  The accumulated sins of every single person who ever lived or will live heaped upon Him on that cross on that day so long ago.  It was to pay the price for your sins and mine, and countless others who come to Christ for salvation.  It's then, out of gratitude for all He's done for us that we choose to live for Jesus.  

Do you think that they would want you living for the wrong reasons?  Living a life that really doesn't reflect a heart changed by a new life in Christ?  

My Dear Reader, realize that it was because He first loved you that Jesus went through all that He did to save you. 

This is far more important than all other reasons to try to get to Heaven. 

For God so loved YOU that He gave His only begotten Son that if YOU believe in Him you will perish but have eternal life in Christ Jesus.  

Come to Jesus for salvation and find what indeed YOU have really been looking for all your life.