| Moving Day Without Notice - #4369 |
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Thursday, October 9, 2003The title song of the musical "Oklahoma" celebrates that state as the place "where the wind comes whipping o'er the plains." Yeah, I guess so! Would you believe tornadoes that come whipping o'er the plains? That's not quite as poetic, but it sure has been true in recent years. It seems like Oklahoma has had more than its share of severe weather. I saw an interview with some folks whose homes had been hit by one tornado that moved along the northern edge of Oklahoma City. It was amazing to see many people who faced their loss with a determination to rebuild. Some even faced it with a sense of humor, believe it or not. One man described what had happened pretty creatively - he said, "Well, it was sort of moving day without notice!" I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You about "Moving Day Without Notice." You know, we're all going to have one of those, no matter what the weather's like. On God's calendar is the day that we will all breathe our last - and keep our appointment with Him. As the Bible says, "Man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment" (Hebrews 9:27). No reincarnation. No second chance. No do-over. Death, then judgment. It will be for each of us "moving day" - without notice. That's why the Bible gives this advice in Proverbs 27:1, our word for today from the Word of God: "Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." And we have plenty of proof of the wisdom of that statement, don't we? We all know people who were literally here today and then gone tomorrow. One car crossing the center line, one deadly spasm in your heart, one deadly surprise. We live as if tomorrow's a sure thing. It's not. And nowhere is it more foolhardy - more potentially fatal - to postpone what we need to do than in our relationship with Almighty God. Or the fact that we really don't have a personal relationship with God. You may have seen this Bible verse on a highway billboard and laughed it off - but it's way too serious to take lightly. The Bible simply says, "Prepare to meet your God" (Amos 4:12). We prepare for an exam, for company, for a vacation, or for retirement. We don't prepare for eternity. Fatal mistake. And the Bible makes it clear there's only one way you can prepare to meet your God - to prepare for that day when you will move without notice, either to heaven or to hell. The most urgent issue in our lives is to get all the sins of our life somehow forgiven - because without that, we stand no chance with a holy God. And the only One who can forgive your sins is the One who died to pay for your sins in your place. That's Jesus. The Bible couldn't be more clear - "He that has the Son (that's Jesus) has life; he that does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 John 5:12). Either you have Jesus because you've consciously given yourself to Him - or you don't have Jesus. In which case, you don't have eternal life. It just doesn't make sense to risk one more day without Jesus. God puts it this way: "Now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation" (1 Corinthians 6:2). If you have never reached out to Jesus and given yourself to Him, please don't wait any longer. Tell Him today, "Jesus, I am Yours. You died for me. I want to belong to you and put all my trust in you." If that's what you want, I would love to send you my booklet. It's called "Yours For Life". It's all about beginning your personal relationship with Jesus. I just need to know you want it. Today is all that you've got for sure. And there's just too much at stake to wait. Share or Bookmark This Page       |
