Cast away from you all the transgressions that you have committed, and make yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Lord GOD; so turn, and live.”

Ezekiel 18:31-32, ESV

 

This is a message of encouragement.

 

I wanted that to be clear before anyone is tempted to quit reading after they see the title of this article and the passage above and think that it will be just another "Hell, Fire and Brimstone" rant. Now don't get me wrong. God does indeed have such warnings contained within the Bible and we need to heed those warnings, but the vast majority of His Word reveals how we might live life to the fullest and be saved. Consider the following passage:

 

I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

I John 5:13, ESV

 

The fact is that God's warnings to us to turn away from our sins are given out of love, not meanness. He wants us to know that those who are in danger of eternal loss do not have to remain in that state. One eternal truth that we all must learn is that the wages of sin is only death, but that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord, (Romans 6:23). This is why Jesus had to die! My sins and yours required a payment, but Jesus paid it. So, why will we die when we can know we have eternal life?

 

Perhaps the main thought of today's article is this: Why will you live a subpar life, just waiting for Judgment's axe to fall, when you can know that God does not want you to be lost? For Hell is a very real place of pain, hopelessness, and loss. Those who end up there will eventually realize that it is through their own doing, therefore Hell will be a place of eternal regret. It is a place that will be utterly and absolutely devoid of God's presence. It is the worst place imaginable, but many will end up there due to the fact that they just never could find the time to correct the err of their ways and do what God wanted them to do.

 

What a waste of life! But it doesn't have to be that way...

 

Perhaps these four truths will help us when we are tempted to just give up and wait in fear for a verdict of Judgment that God does not want to render:

1. Salvation is the true measure of success in life
2. The knowledge of salvation will allow us to enjoy life on earth to the fullest
3. Salvation is readily attainable for those who will make the effort to find out what God has commanded
4. Salvation is available in the same way today as it was when given immediately following Christ's sacrifice and resurrection some 2000 years ago

 

This knowledge has the power to change your life. It can lift you out of the depression's deepest pit and lift you up to the joy God has always desired for His beloved children. Consider this: If you have been living a life of despair, why? If you are afraid that you might be lost, why won't you do something about it? The fact is that Hell does await those who refuse to come to God in His way, as well as for those who refuse to walk in His ways once they have been saved, but eternal life in the actual presence of the Father and the Son is available for all who will seek their will and do it.

 

If you believe these things to be true, but are not sure if you are saved, what should you do? Find out! You can, you know. It will take effort on your part, perhaps greater effort than you have ever given to anything before, but it is worth it for being lost really is easier to cure than to endure.

 

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test.

II Corinthians 13:5-6, ESV

 

If the thoughts from today's article might help someone you know, why not share it with them? You never know, the truth's found in these Scriptures just might change their life!