Urgency

Sunday morning is usually rushed...getting ready and out the door for church...dropping Hadley off at the nursery makes me want to cry...but hearing the Word of the Lord spoken, I know I'm exactly where I should be. 

This morning the pastor spoke on urgency.  The topic was Hell.  He explained it in a way that I have never heard before and in a way that spoke directly to my heart.  Don't worry, I'm not going to "preach" to you...but I love my family and friends so deeply that I am not afraid to "offend" or "hurt feelings" on a subject that is literally life or death. 

There is a Heaven...There is a Hell.  Jesus did NOT come to earth, to die on a cross, to make me a better person, or better cheerleading coach, or to deliver us from bad habits.  He simply came to save me from an eternity in hell.  That's it. 

Hell is a place of torment.  No peace...No rest...No water...No learning to endure it...No end.  It is a place of fire and pain...for eternity...forever. 

Now everyone has heard this before...and so have I.  But when I really let myself think about it, and think about someone I know being in Hell for eternity, it crushes me. 

Some say, "why would God send anybody to Hell?"  Well, he doesn't.  He came to die for all...we make the choice whether to accept Him and live forever with Him in Heaven, or deny Him and live in Hell for eternity.  Either way, the choice is ours. 

Sitting in the service this morning, I saw faces of people I love, that I'm not sure where they will be when they die.  We will close our eyes in death, and when we open them, we will either see Jesus or the pit of Hell...and by then it's too late to change our fate.

There is every reason/excuse in the book as to why you don't want to accept Christ into your heart:  I don't want to go to church...I like to drink and party...I want to do what I want to do...Hell will be one big party.  I don't care about the technicalities.  And like my pastor said, Jesus did not come to make you a better person (although that will be a result of having the Holy Spirit live within you)...He came to save me from an eternity in Hell...a forever in Hell...a never ending torment in Hell. 

When he put it like that, it seems so simple...and that's because it is.  I made a decision when I was 15, to ask Jesus into my heart and save me from my sins.  I know that when my eyes close for the very last time on this earth, when I open them, I will see the face of Jesus.  I pray that I will see my loved ones as well.  I plead with the Lord in prayer every day for my nephews, nieces, and my sweet baby Hadley, that when they reach the age of understanding, that they will choose to accept and love Jesus too.     

This post was on my heart today, as well as all of you!  It is simple and it is your choice.  I love you! 

For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. – Romans 3:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord. – Romans 6:2

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. – Romans 5:8

If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord”, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. – Romans 10:9-10

A simple prayer if you choose...

“Jesus, I know that I am a sinner. I believe that You died for my sins and rose from the grave so that I might have eternal life in Heaven with You. I willingly repent of my sins and ask You to come into my heart and life. Take control of my words, thoughts, and actions. I place all of my trust in You for my salvation. I accept You as my Lord and Savior, and this free gift of eternal life. Amen.”