Before It’s Too Late

Luke‬ ‭16:19‭-‬26‬ [19] “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. [20] But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, [21] desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. [22] 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. [23] And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. [24] “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ [25] But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. [26] And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

In ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭16:26‬ Jesus asked, "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?" Stop and seriously consider those questions. I ask you, "What exactly are we living for?" As born again believers, are we mindful of the things of earth or Heaven? Colossians 3:1 reminds us that if we have been raised up with Christ, we are to seek the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Today's verses are a sad reminder that there are many in this world who are on the path to be eternally separated from the Lord. The focus of their life is material gain, and the love of money. They hunger for power, prestige in the eyes of men, and desire to fulfill every desire of the flesh. They are living as if they will live forever, and somehow their riches will save them in the end. That mindset will change on the day they are diagnosed with a terminal illness and all the money in the world can't buy them a cure, or the day an accident leaves them disabled for life or takes a loved one from them. What is even worse is that one day they die and the very next moment open their eyes in the same place of torment where this rich man opened his eyes. As we read those verses we see that after death there was no hope for salvation. The reason for that is that a decision to accept and follow Jesus must be made before physical death comes. This rich man was wealthy in the things of this world, but he was extremely poor when it came to having faith and a relationship with God. Lazarus, on the other hand, though he suffered in his earthly life, and was poor in the things of this world, was rich in faith and relationship with God. What a contrast we see when life on earth ended for both of them. This nameless rich man went out into eternity to be forever separated from God and suffer physical torment. Lazarus, who God knows by name, was carried to the bossom of Abraham to enjoy the riches of Paradise and fellowship with the Saints of old, and the Lord, for all of eternity. So, I ask you, "What are you trading eternal life for? What is so important here on earth that you would risk losing your soul?" Christian, I want to ask YOU an important question, "What are you (and me) doing to make sure that family, friends, co-workers, and the people God puts before us, hear the life changing Good News of what Jesus did for us? Are the things of this world blinding is to what our true mission is while we are here on earth? We may have eternal life and be saved from the wrath to come, but there are also costly consequences for us when we refuse to bring the Gospel message to a lost and dying world. Let's take our eyes off of earthly distractions and set our eyes on the Kingdom and what we are supposed to be doing as ambassadors of Christ Jesus; before it's too late.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). 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 (Romans 10:13).