Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
A few days ago I was relaxing and letting my mind drift. I started thinking about my childhood and how I couldn’t wait to turn 18 and be able to live life on my terms. Then I thought about how I joined the Air Force at 18 and although there was a lot I didn’t appreciate about being one of the few women in a man’s career field, I got much satisfaction and enjoyment from working on Jet Engines and then watch F-105’s and F-4’s fly because of me! It felt exciting, but the years seemed to drag on…
Because I made rank very quickly (self-protection was my motivation) I always seemed to be the youngest person in the room. I also looked much younger than my age, so people thought I was even younger than my chronological age. At the 7-year mark, I decided to make the Air Force a career. Often it seemed like it would be forever until I hit 20 years in service and could retire. Because of long working hours and too much responsibility, life seemed to be slowly dragging during my 20s and 30s.
I retired at age 40 with 22.4 years in service. By that point, I had decided I would stay for 30 years but the Khobar Bombing Terrorist Attack changed all that! However, something else changed…life started to fly by and to this day I can’t believe I will be 67 this year. Where did the last 27 years go? I have memories of teaching high school for a while, grandchildren being born, being VERY sick, getting two more college degrees, traveling a lot, and then starting my church, but it seems to have whizzed by so fast that it feels like I somehow lost time. Where I once wished for it to move quicker, now it is passing me at lightning speed and I realize that soon I will be standing in front of Jesus explaining all I have done and that which I have neglected to do.
As I was mulling over these thoughts, I remembered the 4 times I almost died. I was so close to death at times but didn’t realize that I was in any danger. When I say danger, I mean danger of not having reconciled my relationship with Jesus and my eternal life. I felt no fear because I was ignorant as to what was at stake. Now that I have a complete understanding it is my purpose to help other people understand their mortality and how none of us live forever. I am especially concerned about those who are much younger and do not recognize that they can leave this earth at any moment! We do not know the days of our lives, but God does…and time isn’t on our side!
The Day and Hour Unknown: Matthew 24:36-44
“But about that day or hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.
“Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”
These scripture verses tell us two things: one, we have no clue when the earth will actually come to an end and we will all perish from this temporary place and two, it reminds us that there are no guarantees about our own longevity. As we are happily living our lives, planning for the future we envision, God knows we may not live even another 2 minutes! Our life expectancy and duration are known only by The Father and therefore it is in each of our best interests to realize tomorrow might not be a new chance to change our thoughts, beliefs, and ways. We must do it TODAY!
Job 14:5 “A person’s days are determined; you have decreed the number of his months and have set limits he cannot exceed.” (Job affirms that our longevity is established before we are even born and therefore we must find Jesus and our purpose ASAP)
Acts 1:7 “He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.” (Jesus stated even He doesn’t know the dates and times, so if you are following “man” who is guessing about the end of times, stop it!)
I often talk to people who say “I am a good person, so therefore God will give me eternal salvation.” That is NOT THE requirement of God. He says eternal life/salvation is a FREE gift to those who believe in Jesus and accept the sacrifice He made on the cross as sufficient for our sins! That means you don’t have to live a life of guilt or worry if you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior! You have been redeemed!
Jesus the Way to the Father: John 14:5-7
Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”
Romans 4:25 “He was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.”
Acts 4:12 “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
I could copy scripture verse after scripture verse showing you that Jesus is your way to eternal life with The Father and The Son. However, YOU must BELIEVE and accept Him into your heart and life. I cannot do it for you. However, I can encourage you to do it today and to evangelize to as many people as possible.
As we have all witnessed each person dies at a different age. Some don’t make it out of the womb while others live to 110. This unknown is purposeful and should motivate us to study the Bible and find the true path to the Kingdom of God before our time is up. Being in the military exposed me to thousands of co-workers and their families. I have seen and heard about all the different tragedies that take lives far too soon. I am aware of the urgency because tomorrow is often too late.
You cannot be saved by being baptized at birth. God has a special place in His heart and Kingdom for the young innocents of this world, (they are saved until they become old enough to understand and feel His presence) but if you are blessed enough to become of age…old enough to understand the Word of God, then you need to read it, heed it, and share it with others.
Love is truly expressed when we take the time and energy to help others understand the road to salvation. We cannot do that until we take the road first. I encourage each of you to understand the urgency of this task because he/she who is here today can easily slip from this earth in a minute. As Jesus ascended to heaven, He left us with this:
Acts 1:8 “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
DON’T WAIT UNTIL IT IS TOO LATE! Accept God’s free gift of eternal life and salvation with Him, then go and tell everyone you know about The Good News! AMEN ><>
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