How Valuable Would They Be?

Luke 16:19-23 "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

What a tragic story. Yet, it is one that plays out every single day. Someone, somewhere, goes off into eternity without Jesus, because they chose unbelief and the treasures of this world. Someone, somewhere, has gone into eternity, knowing Jesus, but with a great loss of reward, because they loved the riches of this world, more than they loved Jesus. The rich man enjoyed the creature comforts of this world, and the privileges that came with being wealthy. He cared not for the well-being of Lazarus, the poor beggar who sat at his gate. Now, the tables are turned. Lazarus is in Paradise with Abraham, while the rich man is now the poor suffering beggar. The obvious difference is that Lazarus was a poor man who was actually wealthy because he had faith; while the rich man was poor and did not even know it, because of his unbelief. Sadly, the poor rich-man will remain poor and tormented for the rest of eternity, with absolutely no opportunity to escape. So I have to ask, "If you do not know Jesus as Savior, what earthly treasure(s) is/are keeping you from accepting Him and surrendering your life to Him?" "If you do know Him, what are you holding on to that is robbing you of eternal rewards?" Just before Jesus told this story, He warned that we cannot serve both God and money. In Matthew 8:26-37 Jesus asked, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Are we willing to trade an eternity filled with heavenly rewards for earthly treasures that do not last, can be lost in the blink of an eye, will one day perish, and will be left behind when we die? If you have not trusted and called upon Jesus, are you willing to take the chance of leaving this world and going into an eternity of suffering, just to hold onto, and gather, things that you cannot take with you? Let me ask it this way, "If you were told that you only had one week to live, and there was nothing you could do to keep from dying, how important or valuable would these earthly things be that you are holding onto so tightly? Let that sink in...

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 7:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).