The most important question in the world is, How do I get to Heaven? If that question isn't answered in your life, then nothing else matters. Perhaps, then, we need to begin our search for the answer to that question with the scripture, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (Matthew 6:33) This leads me to say that getting saved (having salvation, getting to Heaven), isn't a formula, but a relationship with Jesus Christ. How do we develop that relationship? May I suggest that it is a choice, your choice. What does the Bible say?

The Bible abounds with scriptures offering you the choice of living life with God or without Him. The choice you make in this life will be the choice that determines your destiny forever (Heaven or Hell). As for me, I have chosen life and the pleasures that are at God's right hand for evermore. The Lord is my shepherd; thus I have life and that more abundantly.

How about you, my friend, what is your choice? Have you chosen death or life, the temporary pleasures that disobedience to God's Word offers or the pleasures that are for evermore by obeying the commandments of God? Have you chosen eternity in the lake of fire (Revelation 19 & 20) or to dwell in the house of the Lord for ever? (Psalm 23) Let's put it this way, have you chosen to follow the impulses of Satan who comes to steal, to kill and to destroy you and all you hold dear, or Jesus Christ, who came to give you life and that more abundantly? (John 10:10)

May I share with you that I first chose the self-destructive ways of disobedience to God's Holy Word (sin). However, I am alive today because I accepted the death of Jesus Christ on the Cross of Calvary as payment for my sin. I accepted His death as a substitute for mine and at that point the God of Heaven imparted to me the gift of eternal life. I chose Jesus Christ as my Lord and Saviour. It was then that He called me into a life of ministry, to share the good news of Jesus Christ and His love: "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4) Since then, there have been times that I've made wrong choices, but I've ultimately returned back to the Lord Jesus Christ and His way (the commandments and principles of scripture) to find a life that is truly worth the living. As a result, I love Him with all of my heart. ("He who has been forgiven of much, has much reason to love the Lord.")

I've found that no matter how difficult life becomes, that if we give Jesus the opportunity, then He always brings the sun back out. Regardless of how long it takes, give Jesus Christ the opportunity to restore your life by giving it to Him, rather than taking it yourself. He can and will once again give you a reason to live and make life worth living again! "On Him and Him alone throughout life, I can depend."

Tell me, have you received God's gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ? If you have, then I rejoice with you. And if you haven't, I invite you to receive the gift of God's Son who was born to a virgin in the manger of Bethlehem. (Luke 1:26-38) Jesus lived a hard life and faced the same temptations as the rest of us. Yet, in contrast, He lived without sin (Hebrews 4:15) because He was God clothed in human flesh: "And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) Therefore He understands your situation and can help you as no one else can. That help begins now. Accept His forgiveness for your sins. Accept the fact that Jesus died to pay the penalty for your sins, and was raised from the dead so that you may live with Him forever in Heaven. Do that now. I'll wait, as will the God of Heaven, to hear your prayer.

Now, consider the remainder of your life. When you face death, what kind of ending will it be? Today is the time to decide what is important so that you can look back over your life without remorse. At the end of life, the only thing that will matter will be the relationships we developed, with the most important being that with Jesus Christ. Standing beside the casket of loved ones, the Spirit of God always takes advantage of that moment to teach. I've learned that the only value of wealth is to use it to proclaim the Gospel. I've learned that being faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ until the end is the only way to live. And I've learned that when one comes to the end of this life, all the pleasure that this world can offer won't have any value. When the God of Heaven calls me home to be with Him, I won't be looking for pleasure. Instead, I will want to see Jesus, in whom are pleasures for evermore. For me to see Him then, Jesus must be the supreme desire of my heart now. Whether you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord years ago or moments ago, determine now how you would like the rest of your life to be. Make those choices now and everyday from the perspective of spending eternity with Him.

Enjoy all that you can of today, even if it is just a smile given in return for yours. Enjoy those you love while they are still with you. And when there is pain in your heart, "turn your eyes upon Jesus and the things of this earth will grow strangely dim." That is because in His presence you will find the purpose of your life, along with the true beauty and joy of the resurrected Son of God, Jesus the Christ.

Who is this Jesus? The Bible says, "The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) Throughout scripture, it is made abundantly clear that, "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11)

Jesus, as the Lamb of God, is beautifully illustrated in the life of Abraham as recorded in the 22nd chapter of Genesis. There Abraham and his son, his only son Isaac, journeyed to a mountain that God called them to for the purpose of making a burnt offering. (At that time it was a practice to slay a lamb, spilling its blood and burning the lamb on an altar, as an atonement for their sin.) Preparing to make a burnt offering, "Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together." (Genesis 22:7-8) That is awesome! Abraham said that God would provide Himself. Do you see it? When God's son, His only son Jesus, journeyed to Calvary to die for our sin, God provided Himself as "the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29) When that spear was thrust into the side of Jesus, He gave his precious blood as an atonement for our soul."

I'm sure glad that Jesus Christ died in my place! You see, "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23) Eternal life with Jesus in Heaven is what you really want, isn't it? Then, if you haven't already asked Jesus Christ to forgive you of your sin, and asked Him to come into your heart as your Redeemer from sin, then let's do so now.

Welcome to the Family of God! Please contact us and share with us the good news. We are here to help you grow in your understanding of the Bible so that you may enjoy life, and that more abundantly.