As I sit here and pray for so many who refuse to surrender their lives to Jesus, I ponder the question, what is it going to take for them to turn to God? When I pray for those who are unsaved or have moved away from following God, I pray God will get their attention, and they will see the reality of eternity.
In John 3:16-18, we see God giving Jesus as a sacrifice for our sins. His reason for making such a grand gesture was because He loves us. Love is not enough for the average sinner to repent and turn to God. Because Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” While love sways us to do many things for those who love us, it is not enough for some.
John 3:16-18 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
For me, the thought of eternal punishment in Hell was enough to cause me to say yes to Jesus. At that point in my life, I knew of His love for me, but it wasn’t enough. However, Hell and the knowledge I could die at any time were enough for me to run crying to God for mercy. I realized I had a choice, and no one could make it for me. I could choose Heaven or Hell, Jesus or Satan. Those were my options. In the above verses, we see that those who believe are not condemned, but those who don’t are already condemned. In Romans 6:23, we have two options. We can take the payment for our sins, which is death in Hell, or we can take the gift that God has provided through His Son.
Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
The Apostle Paul was a murderer of Christians, and it took an unexpected scene of Jesus speaking to Paul from Heaven. From that point on, Paul served God. Through all his ups and downs, there was no time he was not committed to following Christ. You may say, ”Well, if I saw a bright light and heard Jesus talking to me, then I would believe.” That answer is stupid and arrogant. You already have more than Paul had to believe. You have the entire Bible penned by men under the direction of the Holy Spirit. You have historical documents to back up what the Bible says. You have the evidence of changed lives all around you.
Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
David was a man God said was after His heart, but he sinned greatly, and God had to get his attention. In II Samuel 12:14 and 18, we see Nathan, the prophet, warning David, and then the baby dies. This got David’s attention, but he still had to face the consequences of his sin. It took the life of his child to wake him up.
II Samuel 12:14 “Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.”
II Samuel 12:18 “On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.”
What will it take for you to wake up and surrender your life to Jesus? Will it take a tragedy, such as the death of a loved one or an incurable disease? Do you think God owes you time to do what you want to do before you give him your life? If so, you are entirely wrong. God owes us nothing! We deserve Hell because we have sinned against a holy God who gave everything so that we could spend eternity in Heaven. He has sent people to you to tell you of His love and plan. He has blessed you with a good life, yet you complain it is not good enough. If you continue down this path, you will be like the rich man in Luke 16:23-26. This rich man had lived only for himself. He had ignored the needs of a poor rich man named Lazarus. He would not turn to God in this life, and now in Hell, he lifts his eyes in torment. Later in the chapter, he asks Abraham if he can go and warn his brothers of this place, and Abraham replies, telling him there are prophets to tell them, and if they will not listen to them, they will not listen to anyone.
Luke 16:23-26 “And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeing Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime received thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.”
What is your excuse for not giving your life to Christ? What are you waiting for? If you think you can not give up bad habits, you are right; on your own, you will probably fail, but with the help of Jesus, you can succeed. You are wrong again if you think you will give up opportunities to have fun. The happiest, most fulfilled people I know are Christians. Some reading this are people who have been born again, yet they live lives that are more like the world than like Jesus. If this is you, remember you will also give an account of what you have done for Jesus since your salvation. You may make it to Heaven, but it will be a sorrowful time when you stand before God. In every area of life, there are important decisions to make, but none is as important as what you will do with Jesus.
