You are young, and I know you do not think too far into the future. After all, the future is YOURS FOR THE TAKING!
But what is the future? What does it hold? I am sure at times you think about it. No doubt you want a good future, with lots of fun, and happiness with someone special. Being young is an exciting time, lots of adventures and seeing radical changes in the world every day! When you think of how far the world has come, it is literally scary! I was born in 1978, and back then no one had a computer at home, and only the wealthy had a mobile phone. And when we found a friend whose parents had cable TV, or better yet, a satellite dish, they became our very best friend.
Today, I would be surprised if less than 70% of teenagers had their own mobile or personal computer, laptop, or some other wireless electronic device! Now you can sit in a fast food restaurant and eat lunch while watching a TV show on your phone, basically anytime you want to.
It is a great time to be alive, and if you live another 20 years, you will probably see stuff that is beyond belief today! Notice the phrase I used in that last sentence, “if you live another 20 years”. If you live… I hope you live for more than 20 years, but you may not. Now, that is something to consider—carefully.
Do you remember what an antonym is? What is the antonym for live? It is death, is it not? Death. Everybody dies. When I was a kid I figured it was always the other guy who would die. Somebody else, but never me. Never me. But over the last 20 years of my life I have learned that people do die, and, in fact, everybody is going to die. No one is immune to it.
The toughest guy I ever knew was my Grandpa. He was quite a guy, but one day, in perfect health, he just fell over dead in his front yard. Dead. When I heard it, I could not believe it! But he was dead. In the summer of 2002, a friend of mine went to work and before he got home that day, he was dead. He was 36. He was electrocuted in an accident at work.
People die, and I am sure you have had people in your life die. The Bible says that everyone will die: (Hebrews 9:27) “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” God says all people will die, but this sentence says something else– it says that after death there will be a judgment. A judgment of who? Of the dead. How can the dead be judged if they are already dead? That is an interesting question.
It is because you will live again after you die, and you will be judged by God for all your works. I wonder how you will do? The Bible already tells us how you will do—read on and see: (Revelation 20:11-15) “And I saw a great white throne, and him [God] that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; [This is the judgment of Hebrews 9.27] and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
Can you see that the people depending on their works are all cast into the lake of fire? That is where trusting your works will get you. Your works will get you cast into the lake of fire. Note that salvation does not depend on how many good works versus bad works you do.
The message of the Bible is that no one gets to Heaven by their good works, good behavior, or by anything they ever do. Look at this verse (Ephesians 2:8-9) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” It is pretty clear that salvation is not from your works. So the big question is, “Where does it come from?
It comes from the God–man who has the keys to death and Hell: the Lord Jesus Christ. How does He give it? He gives it by grace to undeserving sinners. Grace is undeserved favor.
Are you a sinner? Do you understand that God considers all your works (both good and bad) to be filthy? Do you want all your deeds to come before God’s righteous throne in the above example? Me neither. Look instead for Christ to be your substitute. He was God’s own Son, yet He was willing to be punished and bear the sin of the ungodly that they might be free.
Are you ungodly, but thirst to be free? Then cry out to the Lord for deliverance, and do not stop begging, pleading, praying, and reading God’s Word, until you know you are delivered from this terrible judgment.
If you are actively seeking salvation, or would like to grow in the teaching of the Lord Jesus Christ, email:
valeriewritenow.com 