I Choose You!

“I create Jerusalem to be a joy...no longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there..." 

Isaiah 65:18

After a typhoon devastates parts of the Philippines, there is a lot of talk about how unprepared we are for it, especially the storm surges which are wave-like phenomena likened to tsunamis. "Why were we not informed?" people ask desperately. After a stock market crash, investors invariably ask the same thing. "Why were we not informed?"

But we cannot say the same about heaven and hell. We are inundated with warnings about what will happen after we die. In these days of wars and rumors of war, there is even more talk of the Second Coming. I am surprised how many people believe the end is near. Do we heed it? Do we believe it? Do we prepare for it? This is more devastating than any disaster and will have eternal consequences for us and our loved ones if we just push this "inside information" aside. It does not really matter after all if the end of the world is near. For each of us, we do not know when the Lord decides to bring us home and we should be prepared every day. 

Many stories in the Bible tell us that we are a people in exile. We do not belong here. There is a permanent home prepared for us. Jesus quoted Isaiah in Mark 9:48 when He described hell as a place where the worm which will eat those who go there "does not die, and the fire is not quenched."

We would definitely rather be in a place where there is unquenchable joy, and where weeping will be a thing of the past. But it really is a choice we make here and now! It’s never too late to put our lives in Jesus’ hands and say, “I choose You, Lord! You died for me on the cross. Please forgive me of my sins and save me. Help me to trust and obey You!”