Reality Check: Are you ready for Jesus' coming?

Road crash fatalities, victims of drowning and murder – every day we are given reminders of the grim reality of life: life is uncertain and can be gone at any given moment. Estimates indicate that an astounding average of 150,000 persons die every day.

Despite these astonishing figures, when the Gospel is shared to youth and adults alike, the response is oftentimes “When I get old I’ll give my life to the Lord, but I want to enjoy life now because I am not ready.”

Believe it or not, this lackadaisical attitude towards accepting God’s gift of Salvation is a very subtle, but effective means that the evil one uses to make people think that there will always be more time for me to do this important duty - it is like saying I know I need to get this done, but it can wait; my personal enjoyment is the most important thing to me at this time.

There is another quite subtle deception inherent within this statement: that somehow Christian life is not enjoyable. It is like a child’s limited knowledge of enjoyment: playing outside in the mud, doing whatever he feels, but not realizing he’s getting himself exposed to potentially dangerous diseases that could eventually kill him if he stays there too long. With the superior knowledge of his parents, they call him inside to wash up and have a surprise of a rich chocolate cake for him – but the child, not knowing better, refuses to come inside, preferring to eat his mud pie.

The world promises happiness, it promises wealth, fame – just as Satan tempted Jesus, the glamours of this world trap many into thinking that fulfilment is found by trusting in riches, and you can get whatever you want. Yes, some pleasure is In the world – it would not attract so many without the lure that comes with it; without God what does it profit in the end? After all the drinking, all the parties, all the sex – what will you have to show for it? A little pleasure maybe, along with many broken hearts, insomnia and perhaps STDs! True fulfilment is not found anywhere else than Christ. It is a known fact that several multi-million, multi-billion dollar business persons living luxurious lives have opted to commit suicide. Why? Well, for one, we are not only physical beings, but we all have a spiritual component to us. The lasting happiness and contentment is not found in money. Sure, we all need money to survive in life – and you may enjoy having a lot of money for a while, but it is never going to fill the void that only God can fill. The world may advertise itself as where all the riches are – that is what Satan, the imposter made himself out to be, saying even said to Jesus, the Creator of all heaven and earth, that he (Satan) can give Him (Jesus) all the riches of the world. But know this, Satan may deceive many, but God is in ultimate control of everything in the world. “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” (Matt. 6:33). Sure, you may plan to accept Jesus one day, but can you guarantee yourself that you will live to see tomorrow to change? No. No one can be 100% self-assured of their longevity.

God, our Creator knows each of us so intricately that He knows even the amount of hairs that are on our heads! (Luke 12:7). Even though we have all rebelled against Him many times, both knowingly and unknowingly at times, He arranged for us a way that we can still be friends with Him, to inherit His grace and forgiveness. Many have gotten so used to the gospel message that it is taken for granted; but can you really even remotely imagine the pain Jesus was willing to go through so that you, yes you reading this, can avoid going through the painful consequences of your sins that you may be so freely committing every day? SIX inch nails tearing through the skin, and muscles, painful scourges, mockery – and Jesus never did any wrong! It is you and I! We all know within ourselves that God placed His laws internally within us to search for Him and to sense when something is right and when they are wrong. Belief in and acceptance of God’s salvation and grace gives persons peace even in the worse and most trying circumstances of life.

The Bible says that we should remember our Creator in the days of our youth (Ecclesiastes 12:1) – He deserves the strength of our life’s service, not merely the scrapings of our days when we barely have use for ourselves. If your youthful days have already passed, while you have life, you still have hope. The Lord says “Today is the day of Salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

In accepting Jesus as your Lord and Saviour into your life, you must::

1) Believe He exists and that Jesus is the Son of the Most High God, Creator of the Universe

2) Repent of all the sins you have done, meaning, be truly sorry about all the wrongs you have done in your life, and decide to change your life for the better

3) Confess your faith in Jesus as God’s Son who died for our sins and that He was raised to life

4) Be baptized into Jesus Christ, being buried under the water signifying your sinful way of life has been buried, and raised out of the water to live a new life for God.

5) Be faithful to the Lord in your daily life

While you may not think you are pushing God into a corner, remember this, even though you already know: our time on earth is limited. As it is written: “You don’t even know what your life tomorrow will be! You are like a puff of smoke, which appears for a moment and then disappears.” (James 4:14).

Make today be the day you make the most important decision of your life. Choose to accept God’s free gift of Salvation and live the reality of God’s awesome plan He has for your life!