A thought...or two

I am struck by a story that I heard quite some time ago (not sure where or when). It is about an evangelist in Chicago in the late 1800's. He was preaching a very moving and powerful sermon one evening during a revival. At some point in the sermon he made the decision that he would wait and give the altar call the next evening. (I am not sure what exactly drove this decision, maybe the hope that people would tell their friends to come with them the next night and there would be a greater response, or maybe it was pride, or maybe it was something else entirely. I just know that it was a decision he would live to regret.) The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 destroyed about 4 square miles of the city and claimed the lives of hundreds of people before he had the opportunity to preach salvation and offer Hope to those people.

How often do you think; I'll talk to them about it later or next time or when I know more or when they work some other stuff out or...? I know I have, all too often. Maybe my pride or my fear of rejection or my "valuable time" get in the way, but whatever it is, it could be the difference between Heaven and Hell. And it is definitely not showing them love by keeping my mouth shut.

I don't know who all reads this blog and I don't need to, and since I don't know who is reading, I can safely say that I don't know what your spiritual state is right now. That being said, here goes:

You are a sinner, we all are. And the result of sin is death-literally and spiritually speaking. Think about this, Adam and Eve sinned and as a result we now all physically die. Also, due to our sin, we now are faced with a decision that determines life or death for our soul.

Here is the Hope: Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to Earth and died on a cross. His death on that cross gave us the chance to find redemption and the ability to spend our eternity in Heaven in His presence. However, we have to make the choice to accept the gift His death provides. If we believe that we are sinners, that Jesus died for our sins, and we accept that gift-we then will enter into a relationship with God that can and should transform us.

Know this, there will come a day when everyone will stand before God. You will be held accountable to the choice you made about Jesus, his sacrificial gift and how you chose to live as a result.

God is Love. He showed that love to us by sending Jesus into this world as a sacrifice for our sins. This love should be transforming in our lives. We should be seeking God and obeying His Word. This obedience comes from our faith in Him. The greatest part of all of this is that God Himself will provide what we need to love Him and live in Him. He has promised this help. All you have to do is ask.

If any of this needs clarification or if you want to ask more questions, please feel free to do so. I love each of you (even if I don't know you) and I believe that this decision is the single most important decision you will ever make. No matter what else I have or ever will blog about, this is all that truly matters. I am praying for you.