Where To?

Do you have a GPS device in your car? Or maybe you use your phone instead. Knowing where you are going is a good thing.

I'm taking a long trip today so I updated the maps in my GPS unit last night. Turns out they were old and out of date. I could have easily gotten lost! Instead, I am now confident of where I am going and that's a good thing.

I attended a funeral recently and heard the pastor talk about a meeting he had with the deceased a few weeks earlier. The pastor said this person told him, "I am ready physically and mentally but I'm not so sure about spiritually."

There was an open invitation to share the Gospel if there ever was one. But instead of hearing about sin, repentance, and Jesus' sacrifice for our sins, the pastor said none of that. Instead he said, "You have always been ready. You've been ready your whole life."

I thought about what I had just heard for a few seconds before saying (under my breath), "That's not right."

I think we all say things to make other people feel better, especially at funerals or when they are dying. How many times have you heard someone say, "Well, she's in a better place now" or "They're in heaven now looking down on us."

My response to that is, "Really? What makes you think so? Did they place their faith in Jesus recently? Did they repent of their sins and surrender their hearts to Jesus?" What people REALLY need to hear is the truth.

Read through the Book of Acts and count the number of times people came to faith in Christ. What is the pattern? Almost every account says that they 1.) received the Gospel of Jesus Christ, they 2.) repented and they (3.) were baptized by the Holy Spirit. Here's just one example.

"38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." - Acts 2:38

No human can read peoples hearts. That's God's job. With few exceptions, according to what I read in the Bible, all Christians and those made righteous in God's eyes by their faith are "in the presence of The Lord" when they die. Those who have not placed their faith in Christ are unrighteous and in hades or sheol - "the place of the dead."

Each of us is on a spiritual journey. We must make sure our "maps" are correct by increasing our knowledge of the scriptures. Is what I have just told you correct? Do your research. Read the Bible. Seek the truth for yourselves.

Just remember, Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except by me."

Here is a really good article about sin and repentance and its requirement for salvation.

What Is Repentance and Is It Required For Salvation?