Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Planning”
Our Bible verse for today: “Jesus told them, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Do you have a plan for eternity?”
In Ecclesiastes 3:11 the author (probably King Solomon) observed, “He (God) has also set eternity in the hearts of men.” What Solomon was referring to is the fact that God designed the human heart with an innate awareness of eternity. At the very core of our being we just know there is more than just this lifetime. That’s why every society down through the ages has always had gods they have sought, and it’s why people have always demonstrated a yearning for contact with the spiritual realm. We just know there is something more.
And, of course, people are correct. There is something more; there is a spiritual realm and there is life after death. Every person is a spirit who will spend eternity either in heaven or in hell and, we just know it to be true.
That being the case, every person needs to plan for eternity. There’s an old saying that goes, “Death is certain, and eternity is a long, long time, so you had better get this right.” That’s true because there’s no room for error here and it’s too important to take a chance on getting it wrong.
That’s why in John 14:6 Jesus made the issue so clear for us. He explained there that He is the only way to the Father. There is no other way and if those words of Jesus are true, that must mean that eternal salvation does not come to us by means of any other faith or any other god. It is not a matter of being a good enough person, or giving enough money to charity, or performing the correct religious rituals, or any other thing. If the words of Jesus are true then eternal salvation comes through faith in Him or not at all.
So, what’s your plan for eternity? Do you have one? There’s no room for error here. Once a person passes through the moment of death and enters into the spiritual realm their decision has been made. Jesus has explained the choice for us in the plainest language possible. He left no room for misunderstanding. He is the only way.
People on their deathbed commonly have lots of regrets. It’s not uncommon for them to use their last moments in life to ask forgiveness from those they have wronged and to seek to restore broken relationships. But I’ve never heard of anyone repenting of being a Christian on their deathbed. That’s the one decision nobody ever regrets.
Let me end this morning by asking you again, “Do you have a plan for eternity?” The issue is too important to leave unresolved, and Jesus is the only way to heaven.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 