If you have driven for even a few years, you will have seen automobile accidents of all types, some even as bad as this. As far as accidents are concerned, they happen very quickly and unexpectedly. My wife and I have had several that resulted in our cars being “totaled” and I can tell you from personal experience, this does make you think about how short our lives could be. Every single day that one of us leaves this house, the other one says something like: Drive carefully, there are idiots out there. And the fact of the matter is- there are! These words of caution are accompanied by doing simple things, like wearing our seat belts and always trying to be diligent about obeying the speed limit. Quite often, we take the long route to our destination, just to avoid traffic congestion. All these things prepare us for the worst, and may in fact save our life. Needless to say we are preparing for the future and are ready to face whatever (or whoever) may come our way. The sad fact is that not everyone remains vigilant about the dangers of driving an automobile, but far worse than that; they have no concern for their relationship with God. Frankly, they are completely unprepared to face the final judgment. The following parable from Jesus tells of one person’s preoccupation with other things (in this case MONEY) rather than his spiritual future. Jesus says:
Luke 12 ( World English Bible )
[16] He spoke a parable to them, saying, “The ground of a certain rich man brought forth abundantly. [17] He reasoned within himself, saying, ‘What will I do, because I don’t have room to store my crops?’ [18] He said, ‘This is what I will do. I will pull down my barns, and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. [19] I will tell my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years. Take your ease, eat, drink, be merry.”’ [20] “But God said to him, ‘You foolish one, tonight your soul is required of you. The things which you have prepared—whose will they be?’ [21] So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
This person centered his life around wealth, but he could have been focused on power, family, a hobby, political ambitions or any one of a thousand things that “get in the way” of getting right and keeping yourself right with God. Don’t wind up in hell by accident. Take care of your sin problem today (before it is too late). The apostle Peter presents the solution quite plainly, when he says in Acts, chapter two:
[14] But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and spoke out to them, “You men of Judea, and all you who dwell at Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to my words. [15] For these aren’t drunken, as you suppose, seeing it is only the third hour of the day* about 9:00 AM. [16] But this is what has been spoken through the prophet Joel: [17] ‘It will be in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters will prophesy. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams. [18] Yes, and on my servants and on my handmaidens in those days, I will pour out my Spirit, and they will prophesy. [19] I will show wonders in the sky above, and signs on the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and billows of smoke. [20] The sun will be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes. [21] It will be, that whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’* Joel 2:28-32
[22] ”Men of Israel, hear these words! Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved by God to you by mighty works and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, even as you yourselves know, [23] him, being delivered up by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by the hand of lawless men, crucified and killed; [24] whom God raised up, having freed him from the agony of death, because it was not possible that he should be held by it. [25] For David says concerning him, ‘I saw the Lord always before my face, For he is on my right hand, that I should not be moved. [26] Therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced. Moreover my flesh also will dwell in hope; [27] because you will not leave my soul in Hades* or, Hell, neither will you allow your Holy One to see decay. [28] You made known to me the ways of life. You will make me full of gladness with your presence.’* Psalm 16:8-11
[29] ”Brothers, I may tell you freely of the patriarch David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. [30] Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, [31] he foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that neither was his soul left in Hades* or, Hell, nor did his flesh see decay. [32] This Jesus God raised up, to which we all are witnesses. [33] Being therefore exalted by the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this, which you now see and hear. [34] For David didn’t ascend into the heavens, but he says himself, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit by my right hand, [35] until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’* Psalm 110:1 [36] ”Let all the house of Israel therefore know certainly that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”
[37] Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” [38] Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. [39] For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself.” [40] With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation!” [41] Then those who gladly received his word were baptized. There were added that day about three thousand souls.
Don’t wait for something unexpected to happen, obey God and you can face death without worry or fear. Prepare now, and live eternally because of Jesus!
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