And something drastic did happen, in history, as well as in my own life! After several months of fear, crying, and utter misery as an emotionally & spiritually troubled preteen, it finally happened. What happened? God changed my life. How did He do this? Well, it started when I read a little book titled “Around the Wicket Gate,” by Charles Spurgeon. Suddenly God helped me realize how I could get to Him, and have someone come between me and God’s just wrath – that wrath that I deserved to endure in hell, because I didn’t measure up to God’s fair standard of goodness. I broke all of His laws, especially in my heart. But God showed “the Way” to deal with this. It was crazy-simple, but it was just as crazy in how amazing it was! You see God has provided a way for us to be delivered from our sin, and saved from hell. He gave us a Perfect Substitute who suffered for sin on the behalf of anyone who would believe in Him, and take Him in their hearts as their own personal Savior! This Substitue-Savior is Jesus Christ, Who God sent to earth about 2,000 years ago. He was the Son of God, but was also miraculously born as the human son of the virgin Mary (just as was predicted earlier in history, see Isaiah 7:14). He also lived a perfect life (since He was the Son of God as well), and died a completely cruel, shameful death on the cross by the hands of the Romans. God allowed this so that His Son could pay the full price of physical suffering, as well as spiritual torment on the cross – so that WE wouldn’t have to pay this in hell! This substitution & salvation was complete with Jesus’ own words on the cross: “It is finished.” (John 19:30). And not only does Jesus “purchase” for us a substitution & salvation so we don’t have to suffer God’s holy wrath against sin in hell, but He also purchased for us eternal life in heaven with Him, after we die physically! He clearly says in Romans 6: 23: “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.” Wow! And not only that (as if that weren’t enough), instead of being a natural heart-enemy of God, wanting to rebel against God’s ways and go our own way, constantly living in sin in our thoughts, words, and actions, we are changed around by God’s power to “become the children of God,” (John 1: 12) desiring and doing what is right by God’s grace and help. Yet although we really are a “new creation,” (2 Corinthians 5:17), we still battle our “old nature” which remains until we are perfected in heaven. This means we still sin at times, and have to repent and confess sins to God. But we are encouraged in 1 John 1: 9 that “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Wow, our faithful Father is always ready to forgive us because of Christ who’s already paid for those sins, in whom we believe with all our hearts! And the truth is, even though we still deal with some sin, God gives us a completely new direction & focus – living for Him! Instead of being a slave to sin, we are free in Christ to do what is right and truly good, and we want to do that! Since we’ve transferred our trust from self to God, we have a solid foundation for life, a “paid” stamp on our long list of sins that we would’ve had to pay for ourselves in hell, a new First Love & Director in our lives, a kind & caring Father who promises to work all things for our good (Romans 8:28), as well as a sure hope of heaven.
Can you identify with any of these things? Have you experienced this transformation in your life? Have you transferred your trust from self to God, and have been changed by God from serving yourself, to serving God? You see, heaven isn’t for everyone! What’s going on in heaven? All those who’ve been redeemed by God are singing His praises for what He’s done in their lives to save them from their sins, and give them new spiritual life! They’re singing His praises at what a great, holy, just, but also merciful (especially shown through Jesus!), kind, gracious, magnificent God He is! No one that hasn’t had a first-had experience in trusting their heart, soul, and life with this God will be there! No one that really doesn't seek after God and want to know Him better will be there! We need to have Jesus Christ as our Savior to be there in heaven!
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