Losing my mother in 2006 after a short battle she had with Ovarian cancer is a reminder to me of just how short life is, and how important it is that we are prepared to enter eternity.  It’s also a reminder to me of the many people who have never grasped the difference between religion and knowing Jesus through a personal relationship.

For many years I prayed for Mom’s eyes to be opened to know Jesus personally.  I’m glad to say that she did come to that place before she died.  She left behind her religious upbringing which was very ingrained in her to become a true follower of Jesus.  But what about the many who have never come to understand the difference between religion and actually knowing Jesus?  Their eternal future hangs in the balance…

Are you on your way to heaven?

On my website I share many posts that deal with the differences between religion and having a relationship with Jesus.  These posts are intended to make you think about eternity and where you will spend it.  I realize that some people will be offended by what I write concerning “religion”.

The truth is, I’m offended by the fact that we have allowed so many to believe that religion can save them.

How can we sit back and not tell people the truth?

At one time I was also among those who had no clue that the only way to heaven is found through a person, not a religious system.  We should be shouting it from the housetops, but we’re so afraid of what people think that we keep silent.  What excuse can we possibly give for our silence when we stand before Him on that final day?

My story’s a simple one… When I was young I had somewhat of a religious upbringing.  My best friend’s Dad even pastored a church, so for a time in my life I went to church with him.  Sometimes I’d hear stuff on the radio about God, but it often seemed to me that they were just trying to make God look cool to teens.  It was a turn off.  I knew God was more than about being cool.  Whatever exposure I had to religion and church wasn’t having much of an effect on me.  I was seeking something real with God, but I wasn’t finding it.  I never found what I was looking for in “church”, and eventually got back into psychic stuff which had I dabbled in.  But that was all about to change- In the summer of 1984, when I was least expecting it, Jesus opened my eyes and totally changed my life!

All of my life I had thought of Jesus as being about religion.  Suddenly I realized it wasn’t about that at all!  It was actually possible to know Jesus personally.  It wasn’t religion He came to bring; He brought Himself.  He showed up Himself!  Well, that was it.  I became born again and began to follow Jesus.

My family didn’t really understand what had happened to me when I became born again.  Suddenly I was toting around a bible and talking about Jesus all the time.  I used to wear a t-shirt that was specially made for me that said, “Jesus is not religious!”  I remember Mom saying to me, “What do you mean He’s not religious?  Of course He’s religious!”  I prayed and prayed she’d one day understand.

While religion might make us feel safe, or make us feel spiritual, it can never take us to heaven when we die.  We need Jesus to do that.  Christian singer Keith Green said it best:

“Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to McDonald’s makes you a hamburger!”

Unfortunately, far too many people believe that going to church DOES make them a Christian.  They’re staking their eternity on it; hoping that going to church and trying to be a good person will be enough, and God will let them into heaven when they die.

When death comes

Ten years before Mom died, she came to see that religion wasn’t enough, and she gave her life to Jesus.  Never again did I hear Mom say that she hoped to get to heaven by trying to be “good enough” or because she went to church.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.”

It hurts to know that in this world I will never be seeing my Mom, or be spending time with her again.  But for me there’s something that goes beyond that… the overwhelming joy I have knowing that my mother had given her life to Jesus, that she is now in heaven, and one day we will see each other again.

The bible tells us to consider the day of death because it’s the end of us all. (Ecclesiastes 7:2) We all have to face it, and we should think long and hard about it.  I for one don’t want to be putting my trust in religion assuming I can get to heaven that way.

If you’re trusting in your “religion” to get you to heaven I urge you to let go of it and to take hold of Jesus instead.  Heaven and hell are real places.  Heaven is the home of those who have given their lives to Jesus and look to Him alone for eternal life.

As we worshipped the Lord in song this last Wednesday I was taken on a journey in time: As I sat there in a living room with a small group of believers, listening to the piano and hearing the voices of those around me singing songs of praise to Jesus, it brought me back to a time in my life 21 years earlier!  The memories came flooding back of a time two decades ago when I once sat in a living room 1400 miles away from the living room I was now in.  I remembered how it was: the joyful praise- how it seemed to glow with the presence of God as we use to gather together worshipping the Lord.  I thought to myself, “This is just the same- the same presence; the same Jesus; He has not changed, He is just the same as He’s ever been!”

And then it occured to me- “He is still the same, but almost everything in my life is different!  Almost everything in my life has changed over the last 21 years!”  I’d gone through many different cars; lived in so many different places; and I can’t even fit into the clothes I used to wear!  Yes, it’s the same face I see in the mirror- but I know I’ll never be mistaken for being 29 again.  

Oh, and I’m married (something I was beginning to think would never happen!).  I have 2 cats, and I’ve actually lived in one place long enough to frame pictures on the wall- what a change from the days I roamed the earth living out of a suitcase as I once did as an itinerate evangelist/musician.

Yes, almost everything has changed.

The last 21 years have not only brought new people into my life, it has taken many of the people I loved most out of my life- my mom, my dad, my step-dad, my grandparents… have all left this earth.

Most of the people I once knew and spent time with in the various churches I have been a part of have come and gone too- their lives also changing, rearranged, and moved around in ways they couldn’t imagine.  I thought, as I worshipped, about them.  Some had held on to their faith, and some had seemingly walked away.  I thought of a woman who at one time literally radiated the Lord in her life, whose family poured out Jesus in their giving and love, and how all of that was gone now through some very bad choices.  Jesus was once everything to her, but that seems a distant memory now.  And she’s not the only one: too many friends have fallen away, quickly or by degrees; they testify to me about myself- unlike God and just like them, I’m just as subject to the influences of life and to change.  If I’m honest, I’ve had my share of drifting from Jesus; of being up and down, closer and farther away. 

Of course, many changes over the last 21 years have also been good ones: It’s true my Mom died of cancer, but 10 years earlier she gave her life to Jesus!  She’s now in heaven- what a change that must be from being here on earth!

And it’s also true, that yes, I’ve seen friends walk away from God in the last 21 years, but I’ve also seen others grow in their love, and service, and commitment to Him.  And while I can remember fondly the churches I was once a part of while I traveled singing and sharing the gospel; and while it is true we all have gone our separate ways for the most part as things have changed in each of our lives, yet here I was sitting in a living room worshipping Jesus with people I never knew existed 4 years ago!  That’s pretty awesome!

And do you know what I realized as I sat there in that living room, reflecting on past and present?

I realized the amazing thing is, that through it all, one thing had not changed- Jesus was the same as He’d ever been!  As fresh, as pure, as life-giving as the day I first met Him- He was just the same! 

What an awesome revelation!  Though the whole world may change- Jesus is constant.  I’m so glad I know Him.  I can’t imagine going through life without Him.  In a world that is constantly changing in every way imaginable, He is eternal and sure.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” -Hebrews 13:8

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)

The passage goes on to say, “This is what the ancients were commended for.” It is also, might I add, what the modern man most lacks.

Pity the one who only believes what He can see.

The man without faith is poor even if his outward life pretends riches, for he lives in a world of his own making, devoid of the knowledge of God. How strange to live in a world created by God without knowing God! Is it any wonder why we fumble about blindly feeling our way?

How confident the world acts; how self assured! You don’t have to live long to see that it’s all a sham, a puffing up of the chest to project the image of “having it all together”. Not having eyes to see the unseen, we can only believe in ourselves. How tragic! Looking to ourselves we build all sorts of support structures- all based on what we can see; all based on us. We deify knowledge, philosophy, human wisdom, science, technology; in place of God sits the psychologist along with a host of other “experts” who purport to understand the human condition.

God shoots the whole thing down with a word:

“For it is written: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.” (1 Corinthians 1:19)

The world and it’s support system are considered by God to be utter foolishness!

Looking for answers

There was a time in my life when I looked to the world for answers. I read many self-help books, all the time failing to see that they all had one thing in common: they put man at the center of the universe instead of God.

Through the ages we have made a specialty of making gods out of ourselves; is it any wonder we fail to see beyond our own faces in the mirror? Having enthroned ourselves, and having put the King’s crown on our own heads, we went on to spin deep sounding philosophies that keep us always at the center. Sometimes we may even allow God in our peripheral vision- thoughts of His existence may intrude, but in the end sight wins over faith: We can see ourselves, we can’t see God- we reason that we must be the center of the universe.

Into a world that seeks “proof” God speaks about “faith”. The greatest treasures of life are only accessible by faith!

The day finally came when I saw a little bit of what God saw. He lifted the veil on my heart and I saw the poverty of a life that revolved around me. It was going to take more than a self help book or a trip to the psychiatrist’s office to deal with who I was.

Suddenly the world’s answers seemed pretty shallow and foolish. I found myself agreeing with God- the world doesn’t know what it’s talking about!

“Where is the wise man? Where is the scholar? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20)

None of my self help books ever told me that I had a “sin problem” (an important omission since that was my main problem!). My guidance counselor at school never said anything about me needing to be “reconciled to God”. The psychiatrist who gave me tranquilizers to calm my anxious nerves in my early 20′s never told me that Jesus was “the prince of peace” or that my sinful lifestyle could be causing some of my guilt and anxiety. Even if I were to be able to sail through life having riches and health and every desire satisfied (and who can say that!) I’d still be faced with death.  I’d still be faced with the reality that whatever kind of life I was able to make for myself would eventually end- leading me to the ultimate conclusion: There must be more to life than this! This world can give you a lot of things, but after everything is said and done this world’s treasures and wisdom can only take you so far; without faith you can never enter into what real life is.

Real life centers around God; real life does not have man at the center.

If you’re going to enter into this “Life” it’s going to have to be by faith, because God has set things up so that faith is the only way in:

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”  (Hebrews 11:6)

The entrance of faith

The bible says that, “Faith comes by hearing; and hearing by the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17)

As we read and hear the Word of God faith has an opportunity to grow in our heart. Faith itself is a “gift of God” and not something we can boast about. (Ephesians 2:8-10) In the world of faith GOD is at the center and GOD is the initiator. May He open your heart to believe in Him!

“… so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Ephesians 3:17)

The world offers up it’s substitutes for God, but they can never come close to knowing and walking with God Himself. The world will try to tell you that God doesn’t exist; failing to do that it will try to tell you to not make too big a deal out of God. Don’t let the world crush your faith!

“My goal is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (Colossians 2:2-3)

The riches of a life lived by faith

“By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” (Hebrews 11:3)

“All things were created by Him, and for Him.” (see Colossians 1:15)

By far, the greatest riches of a life filled with faith is that we are introduced to, and begin to know the God who created the entire universe.  How can we ever begin to understand life, and our place in it, without knowing the One who created it all?

The entire universe was created by an unseen God- but He has revealed Himself through the person of Jesus Christ.

“All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:3-5)

Have you comprehended it? Have you seen the unseen; believed by faith? Even though God came in the flesh in the person of Jesus many could not comprehend it. They could not see who He was even though He was standing right in front of them! For them, as well as for us, the requirement is the same- only by faith can we see that which is hidden; only by faith can we enter into the true riches of knowing the God who created us.

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” (Psalm 14:1)

As I opened up the paper this morning I noticed the obituaries:

A 14 year girl had died in an automobile accident, and below her was the name of a 97 year old woman who had also died the same day. It reminded me of why the bible says:

“As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’  I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.” (2 Corinthians 6:1-2)

We have no guarantee of tomorrow, so the bible tells us not to put off the issue of eternity. One may live for 14 years, another for 97- since we have no idea when we will be leaving this world we better make some decisions now, before it’s too late.

The newspaper said the authorities didn’t believe speed or alcohol were involved in the young girl’s accident. Two vehicles collided and her time on earth was done.

The strange thing about life though is that time doesn’t necessarily make us any wiser. The 14 year old could have given her life to Christ, and the 97 year old may not have! In this case I don’t know what decisions where made by the two concerning Christ.

Giving your life to Jesus

One thing I do know is that every day on this planet young people die who have already given their life to Jesus. They came to Jesus and received Him even though they were young. When death came they were prepared.

Thankfully, there are also those who’ve lived full lives of many years who have also “given their life” to Jesus- when death comes they too will be ready.

It’s the ones who never “get around to it” that the bible’s concerned about. Like a voice pleading from eternity come the words:

“I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

14 or 97- Who will leave this earth first? Don’t be so quick to say you know! In the case of our town both ended up dying and leaving the same day.

It would be wonderful if both did, in fact, belong to Jesus… and they just may have! One thing is certain- a very young woman and a very old woman both left this world on the same day and will face eternity locked into the choice they either did, or didn’t make, concerning Jesus Christ.

Since none of us knows when we will be leaving this world the bible clearly tells us to not put off until tomorrow the single most important decision a person can ever make.

Now is the time to make decisions about eternity. What if tomorrow never comes? We can be sure that for everyone of us there will be a tomorrow that doesn’t come- we will wake up in a place outside of this world and be faced with heaven or hell as our final destination. How wonderful, whether we are 14 or 97, if we find ourselves in heaven! How tragic and horrible to be faced with hell for eternity because we never received Christ as our Lord and Savior; because we never gave a thought to what would happen after we die.

Here are just a few of the things Jesus says about eternal life:

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

 “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though He dies…” (John 11:25)

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise Him up at the last day.” (John 6:40)

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

“Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.” (John 3:36)

Give your life to Jesus today

Since you have no idea what the span of your life will be, why would you ever put off such an important decision? I hope today will be the day you give your life to Jesus!

For more information please read, “Heaven, Hell and Eternal Life”.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how most of the people I know are so busy.  I’ve just been noticing more and more that friends who were at one time pretty easy going, and always seemed to have time to talk or get together, just don’t have the time anymore.  I was talking to another brother in the Lord recently and he’s been noticing the same thing with people he knows.  Everyone’s so busy that they don’t seem to have the time to do the simple things of life- there’s less peace and more strain.  Are we just rushing from thing to thing and not realizing how foolish it really is to live like that?

My mom died of cancer 5 years ago and one thing that she said really stuck with me.  We were in a grocery store one day and she noticed how stressed and rushed so many of the people seemed to be.  She told me she used to be like that, but after being diagnosed she saw the futility of it all.  She told me the difference between her and the people that she saw racing around, was that she knew her time was almost up here and how precious life really is.  It’s worth the time to slow down.  Constantly being preoccupied and busy robs us of the quietness we need to think, to ponder- to really live.

The great paradox that I saw with Mom was that even though she was running out of time here on planet earth, she started to slow down and live like she had all the time in the world.  She took in the flowers at spring and noticed things we just passed by.  When talking with her, you had the sense she wanted to hear every word you had to say, and there was no place she’d rather be than right there with you.  Sometimes I could see her taking me all in, or looking up at the sky and absorbing it all like a big sponge.  She was dying, but in many ways I’d never seen her so full of life.  She embraced it, treasured it, took it all in.

Only a month or so before Mom died, we walked out of Wal-Mart on a beautiful spring day.  I watched her look up into the sky, take a deep breath of the spring air, and say, “What a glorious day!”  She taught me one of the most priceless lessons.  It’s one we all know, but seem to forget… Life is short, and too precious, to just let it pass us by.

But if this life is too precious to just let it pass by, how much more are we missing out on if we fail to live for eternity?  Jesus said, “What does it profit a man if he gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”  Life is too short to make this world your goal!  The best lived life soon ends, and then what?

The great tragedy is that Jesus is wanting to spend time with us but we think we have “better things to do”.

How can we take this most precious of treasures and just walk on by?  Jesus is speaking from heaven, are you too preoccupied with this world to hear the voice that speaks of eternity?  Soon you will be there, and what will this world be to you then?  How the devil loves to keep us distracted by that which will soon be gone.  Jesus is your greatest treasure.  How He longs to walk with us “in the cool of the day”.  What could be better than that?

Today marks the 4th anniversary of my Mom going to be with the Lord after an almost 2 year battle with Ovarian cancer.  The night before she died I had a sense that the time was drawing near, and that we had only a little bit of time left with her.  I went out for a walk and spent a good while praying.  I knew that “to be absent from the body” was to be “present with the Lord”.  But it never quite dawned on me until that night that “to be absent from the body” was to be absent from me.  I would no longer be seeing my Mom walk this earth.  I would not hear her voice again or see her smile while I was in this place.  I was very close to my Mom so the pain of this was very real.

There are some who will try to tell you that death is just a natural progression of life, and even become poetical about it.  That is not what the bible says; death is actually an enemy, and anyone who’s experienced the grief and loss that comes from losing the ones we love the most, knows that. 

“The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”  (2 Corinthians 15:26)

There will come a day when:

“He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”  (Revelation 21:4)

Crossing from death to life

As I walked and prayed that night I knew the time was near that I’d be losing my Mom.  And as I came to the end of my prayer, I asked Jesus to take my Mom “into the presence of His glory”.  The next day she departed this world; it was on her birthday.  I had time to bring her a rose, say good morning and “Happy Birthday Mom”, and read her Psalm 23 by her bed.  With my brother and sister beside me, we surrounded her bed and watched her take her last breath.  The pain was overwhelming, but so was the joy I had in knowing my Mother had given her life to Jesus Christ and that she would be with Him for eternity, and that one day I’d  be seeing her again.

The final word is not death.  For those who belong to Him, the final word is “life everlasting”!

“I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.”  (John 5:24)

I wrote the song, “In The Presence of His Glory”, the day after my Mom’s funeral.

In The Presence of His Glory

Holy is the Lamb
glory to His name
round about the throne
all the angels sang
 
Glory to the Lamb
Who sits upon the throne
All of the redeemed
Worship Him alone
 
And every single heart
That’s been washed in His blood
For all eternity will sing of Jesus love…
 
In the presence of His glory
no eye has seen, no ear has heard
all the wondrous things that God’s prepared…
for those who love Him
there is no night
in the presence of His glory
 
In the presence of His glory
all the sadness, pain, and heart’s despair
has disappeared and can be found nowhere…
for those who love Him
there is no night
in the presence of His glory
 
Behold the sight of 10,000 angels singing,
“There is no night, before His throne!”
There is no fear of the sting of death remaining
“There is no night!  There is no night!”
 
Holy is the Lamb
glory to His name
round about the throne
all the angels sang
 
Glory to the Lamb
Who sits upon the throne
All of the redeemed
Worship Him alone
 
And every single heart
That’s been washed in His blood
For all eternity will sing of Jesus love
 
In the presence of His glory
The sting of death will fade to heaven’s sky
In Jesus Christ you will be glorified…
And joy will reign,
there is no pain
in the presence of His glory!
 
And joy will reign, there is no pain…in the presence of His glory!

“Behold!  The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

If He can bear the whole world’s sin
then who am I to say to Him,
that mine is just too much?

Surely such a sacrifice
is worth my very heart and life…
Look at how He bled and died,
Look at how He loves me!” 

I hardly need to say a word about my lyrics for today… God’s love is amazing!  He has power to forgive sins, but not just power… more than enough power!  When I start to believe that my sin is just too bad to forgive, or that I’ve sinned the same sin one too many times to be forgiven, I remember that Jesus’ death was powerful enough to take away the whole world’s sin! 

“He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.”  (1 John 2:2)

Think about it:  That’s the whole world’s sin for all time, not just my lifetime.  If He can do that, then who am I to say that mine is just too much to forgive?  There’s mercy for you in Jesus, and not just enough, but overflowing, overwhelming mercy, far exceeding any sin you have committed.  The power of what Jesus did on the cross for you, is greater than your capacity to sin.  In all ways His blood shed on the cross is enough; you cannot sin more than He is able to forgive!  That’s how powerful His sacrifice for you is!

Now, having said that, there is something you can do if you want to continue on and die in your sin… You can turn your back on Jesus and say no to His forgiveness, but why would you?

Doesn’t a love like His demand your very heart and life?  Do you really want to walk away from the One who loves you more than anyone else in all the world, whose love goes beyond the grave and promises to be there for you throughout eternity?  Look at how He loves you!  He paid the penalty for sins you committed and offers you eternal life!  He doesn’t accuse you of sins you’ve committed, but washes them away!

“Surely such a sacrifice
is worth my very heart and life…
Look at how He bled and died,
Look at how He loves me!”

“He’s God’s only forgotten Son
Pushed away by a world gone wrong,
For there’s never a thought
Of the love that He brought
And no thanks for the things that He’s done

He’s the treasure of God’s own heart
To a world living in the dark,
And if they only knew
Even had just a clue
Their denial would tear them apart…”

Do you need any more proof of the reality of sin than that God’s only begotten Son could be so easily laid aside and forgotten?  The world goes on from day to day with barely a thought that it lies under the judgment of God, oblivious to the obvious… we will all one day die and have to face Him.  What’s even more startling though is God’s made a way of escape for all of us and we ignore it:  He sent Jesus to free us from the certain judgment that awaits us, and we don’t even care!  Tell me that sin isn’t real!

Deception and blindness is at the heart of all sin; Adam and Eve succumbed to it in the garden (Genesis 3) and we’re still blinded to this day.  The serpent told Eve, “You will not surely die”.  If there was ever a one trick pony, it’s the Devil.  He hasn’t changed a word since his original lie, and we keep falling for it… hook, line and sinker.

Do you want to know if sin has actual power?  Ask yourself what sane man would willingly board a bus to hell when God is offering a ticket to heaven free of charge?  The very Creator of the universe sent His Son into the world to rescue you from an eternity in hell and you don’t even care? I don’t need anymore proof of the blinding power of sin than that!  God’s Son comes to forgive you, and wash away your sin, and you toss Him aside because you have better things to do with your life than mess around with “religion”?  I hate to say it, but you’ve been blinded to the greatest love the world has ever known!

“The god of this age (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.”  (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The greatest thing that’s ever happened to this world was the entry of Jesus into it.  Do you know Him?  Are you living for Him?  Is He forgotten, or loved by you?

If you’re seeking, go here.

If you’re wandering away from the truth, go here.

Recently a friend of mine sent me a story about an unsaved preacher.  In the story the minister watched his dying friend pass into eternity all the while realizing he had nothing to offer him as death approached because the minister himself was an unsaved man!  The preacher had religion, but he lacked a real relationship with Jesus.  Sitting at his dying friend’s bedside revealed his emptiness; he had nothing to offer him at that moment but empty “comfort”.

Empty comfort is something the bible talks a lot about; the false prophets specialized in it: “They dress the wound of my people as though it were not serious.  ‘Peace, peace,’ they say, when there is no peace.”  (Jeremiah 6:14)  Empty comfort coming from pulpits that refuse to speak the truth for fear of offending.  Telling people what they want to hear has always been more popular than telling people what they need to hear.  Many servants of God have been put to death simply because they refused to give empty comfort, and instead told the truth.  The pages of the bible are filled with such martyrs of the faith, and warn of those who bring empty comfort. “The prophets prophesy lies, the priests rule by their own authority, and my people love it this way. But what will you do in the end?”  (Jeremiah 5:31)

That is the issue, isn’t it… the end?  The end will come, and then what?  Well, the answer to that is the “empty comfort givers” will be right there at your funeral, still giving empty comfort!  They will attempt to assuage the pain of your grieving family and friends by telling them that you are in a “better place”.  But are you? I’m not trying to be insensitive here.  I’ve lost both sets of parents, my grandparents, and most recently, my Mom, just 3 years ago after a battle with Ovarian cancer.  I understand the pain of losing the ones I love most.  I also understand that not everyone goes to heaven.  As a Christian I understand that without Jesus, without being “born again”, there is no entrance to heaven… everything else is empty comfort.

This is why I keep sounding the same trumpet.  False peace will do you no good on the day you die.  Everyone might be at your funeral talking about how you’re in a “better place”, but what good will that do you if you really aren’t?  The “unsaved church” has been lulled into believing that all will be well with their souls.  Religion can be comforting; that is until you die.  Then you have to face a very uncomfortable truth; no amount of religion can get you into heaven.  How can we just sit back and say nothing while people slip into eternity unprepared?  We’re so worried about offending others, but it isn’t really being “nice” not to warn people, is it?  Eternal life is a gift.  It can’t be earned, and being religious doesn’t guarantee you’ll get it.  Find out more here.