One annual tradition that we have gets us looking back at the icons or "legends" of our entertainment world who have recently died. Every year, people look back and say about some of them, "They left us too soon".
But the Bible is the source of all Truth, and it teaches us that there is a day appointed to all of us when we will exit this existence, and move on to eternity. We don't know how or when but we know why. Why has been given to us. But we don't know if we'll ever reach old age, or if we'll leave a lot sooner. The dates on the grave stones in ever cemetery testify to this fact.
The Bible teaches that we are ALL eternal souls and throughout the pages of the Bible, we can only extract TWO eternal possibilities - HEAVEN or HELL.
Despite the myriad of religious, emotional, mystical and foundationless philosophies that explain what happens after death from various cultures and history, The Biblical scriptures describe a real eternal state where our human senses will continue to exist. Jesus' own account of the rich man and the beggar, Lazarus after death experience illustrates this. This was an account of an actual person named Lazarus. Jesus never named anyone in his parables.
..."And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth 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 receivedst 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. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead". - Luke Chapt. 16
We have a number of days set before us. We don't know how many but surely, we should live every one of them in humbled gratitude towards the ONE who has bestowed them upon us. How often do we jump out of bed and crawl back in without once acknowledging whether we'll be able to put on our shoes the next day?? God hasn't just granted life in this temporal existence but eternity to each and every soul which He has created.
"Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be". - Psalm 139:16
The one who has God now, has LIFE on into eternity.
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life".
- John 5:24
Happy New Year!
Let's live every day in 2015 for Him.
