Emotion

The elation of victory is a wonderful emotion and the greater the win the fuller the joy. Life is all about conquering differing obstacles as and when they present themselves, regardless of our upbringing or background we all have the hurdles of life to conquer. And one needn’t look very far to find someone worse-off than ourselves. But regardless of our standings within society, whether we are first in the class or last we will only ever be in one of two factions that will carry eternal consequences; the Camp of Life or the Camp of Death! Whether a person ends up being a king or a pauper we will eventually all be divided as the Bible expresses it into one of two camps; Life or Death; Heaven or Hell! This is what mankind has generally overlooked from the beginning. Life is a treasure hunt and the greatest treasure of all is the Lord Jesus Christ and yet only some will find Him; whilst others chase mammon or something they value as their ultimate goal which drives them to be the persons they are. However the offer to find Christ through repentance has gone out to all. Eventually this truth will become apparent to all and yet sadly it will be too late for so many.     

Obviously we will all die and return to the dust but our soul survives death and lives on, either serving God in plain sight or it will continue to die in darkness and torment, absent from the presences of God for eternity; there is life after death! There will be no end to eternity and we will all be privy to that law which God has established. This truth eludes so many of us because we have been blinded by sin. Sadly the distractions of life keeps our minds busy with less important issues; education, sport, power, awards, money, lust, relationships and the like. Death will eventually knock for all and then what?

Imagine the doom and gloom of death knocking at the door, a man lies on his sickbed knowing that death is eminent, the fear of the unknown looming; that is a reality which in tow carries a heavy burden and an emotion filled with dread. Ifs and buts raging rampant in the man’s mind if he remains oblivious to the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. He has heard the message in some form, we all have, but he has rejected the grace of God throughout his life. What a dilemma!  How many actually find true repentance on their death beds? Some, but not many! God is full of grace and how many opportunities has He afforded mankind to find salvation in Him? Time will reveal it all!

Here is a parable we can use to stress the point…

There was a man who had achieved success and he was esteemed by his peers, a man dressed in purple and someone who feasted on the finest of what life had to offer. Each day on his way to work he looked down on a beggar disregarding him as a failure. A thought of annoyance having to see this man every day frustrated him and with that thought he felt a sense of self-worth about his own achievements. And then it happened death knocked and called his name. His eyes were opened to the reality of eternity and he was surrounded by flames of fire with all his facilities in tacked. How do we know this to be true? Here is his reality; "There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man's table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores. The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.' But Abraham said, 'Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish.” (Luke 16:19-25) – Lazarus (the beggar) was a man in need and yet He relied upon the grace of God to see him through life on earth, he was poor and destitute or so it seemed. Whilst on the other hand the rich seemed to suffer no lack. Until death knocked! He ignored the grace of God while he lived. A story which will apply to all whom live; you see that there is far more to live for than surface tripe and it is imperative that we understand the deeper meanings of life. God has offered all the chance to find Him.

Sadly it was too late for the rich man and this was his retort about his condition; “And he said, 'Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father's house-- for I have five brothers--so that he may warn them, lest they also come into this place of torment.' But Abraham said, 'They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.' And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'" (Luke 16:27-30)

This is the truth about life after death therefore be sure to find the grace of God whilst you still have breath. The offer has gone out to all…

Signing off

Tyrone